Ethical challenges in an evolving digital communication era: coping resources and ethics trainings in corporate communications

Juan Meng · Solyee Kim · Bryan H. Reber

14 citations0/0 files storedCorporate Communications An International Journal

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Public Relations and Crisis Communication Journalism and Media Studies Ethics in Business and Education

Abstract

Purpose This study is motivated to investigate the ethical challenges facing public relations professionals in today's digital communication environment. Specifically, the authors focused the research on the new ethical challenges in digital practice, the resources relied on when encountering ethical challenges and public relations professionals' efforts in seeking trainings on communication ethics. Design/methodology/approach An international online survey was designed and conducted in Canada and the USA. The final sample includes 1,046 respondents working full time in the profession of public relations and communication. In addition, the authors prespecified several demographic quotas in sampling design in order to recruit a more representative sample. Findings The research found nearly 60% of surveyed professionals reported that they faced ethical challenges in their day-to-day work, and there is a wide range of ethical challenges in digital practices. Results also revealed that professionals use various resources to deal with ethical issues. Those resources include ethical codes of practice of professional associations, ethical guidelines of their organizations and their personal values and beliefs. As common as experiencing ethical challenges, over 85% of surveyed professionals reported that they have participated in communication ethics training. However, only 30% of participants indicated that their ethics training took place in the past year. Originality/value The research provides solid evidence that the digital communication environment generates more ethical challenges, while it creates new ways of delivering content in corporate communications. Professional associations and organizations shall dedicate efforts in providing timely ethics training to PR professionals at all levels of leadership within and beyond corporate communications.

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References

2005Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing 2006Ethical leadership: A review and future directions 2003Transparency and Assurance Minding the Credibility Gap 2005Privileging Identity, Difference, and Power: The Circuit of Culture As a Basis for Public Relations Theory 2008A State of Neglect: Public Relations as ‘Corporate Conscience’ or Ethics Counsel 2001Toward a Professional Responsibility Theory of Public Relations Ethics 2016Native Advertising Is the New Journalism 2009An Updated Look at the Impact of Social Media on Public Relations Practice

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