CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT

PROFESSIONALISM ESSAY

Discuss professionalism in relation to public relations theory and

practice, with reference to the Public Relations Institute of
Australia’s Code of Ethics, or the Code of Ethics of any other
professional public relations association such as IPRS, IPRM,
PRCAM or CIPR. Use at least one industry example to illustrate
your argument.

“Professionalism: It’s not the job you do, it’s how you do the job”
was quoted by an unknown source and it has been the funding principle
of professionalism and Edward Bernays, the father of public relations said
that, “The elements of public relations are to inform, persuade and
integrate people with people has been as constant as the society.
However, in order to accomplish the means, the processes have changed
and so did the society.”

Wilcox, Cameron, Ault and Agee (2003) stated that public relations
practitioners have to carry out their task to satisfy the public interest, the
employer, the organization and their own personal values. In fact, the
term professionalism is ambiguous and open to individual interpretation
as mentioned by Bivins (1993) and many professionals such as Cutlip,
Larson, Grunig and Hunt agreed that professionalism can only be
achieved through dedication and by social responsibility.

In the sense, practitioners have to serve the society in order to be

considered a professional. However, the services offered by public
relations practitioners aren’t specified like doctors where they’re
supposed to heal the sick and lawyers with their pro bono work which
makes it very difficult to be considered a professional. Bivins also
mentioned that services should be available to everyone but it needn’t be
provided equally to all.

Bivins (2003) added that practitioners are often in compromising

positions and he raised the issue that the practitioners have a
responsibility to act in terms of public interest, they will restrict
professional obligations by that responsibility. Alan (1994) mentioned
that ethics are the most difficult to gauge because everyone has their
own definition of what is good and bad through upbringing and personal
experiences.

Murphy (2002) stated that public interest shouldn’t be the focal

point because everyone will want a voice and it would be impossible to
curb and will cause chaos hence, it’s called chaos theory. Giving voice to
the marginalized and the voiceless will result in many other people
speaking out as well. When that happens, everyone will be speaking and
there will not be enough listeners. The study of public relations has been
steadily increasing, resulting in many new practitioners which may or
may not be ethical and these practitioners have no idea that the way
they carry out their jobs, will reflect on the whole industry hence, it is
very important to be ethical said Hatherell and Bartlett (2005)

They also mentioned that, the job scope of practitioners have

transformed into an interdisciplinary practice such as social theory,
rhetoric, managerial communication, business and society. Because of
this, Alan (1994) often question where does a practitioner’s loyalty lies?
Does it lie with their employer or the society? Hence, all practitioners
have to adhere to a guideline in order to be more ethical which means
that there is a requirement for public relations to be accredited.

However, Meyer (1987) called most guidelines “full of glittering

generalities” and it is because most guidelines tend to be the “Holy Grail”
by stating that an action could only be black or white and never grey. PR
practitioners are constantly placed in compromising positions and the
guidelines are only merely guidelines. Most of the time, they are looking
for advice not confusing guidelines with rhetorical meanings. The current
Code of Ethics is ambiguous and open to individual interpretations.
Hence, Breit (2007) stated that an action strategy would be appropriate.
There need to be changes in the Code of Ethics to respond to the needs
of the situation, association and environmental publics.

According to Bartlett, Twyoniak and Hatcher (2007)

professionalism is considered as a social legitimacy where professionals
seek to be influential in the society. On the other hand, Meyer and Rowan
(1977) stated that professionals are a collective group of people who
shares the same meanings. For example, Médecins Sans Frontières
(Doctors without Borders) all share the meanings which is to provide
healthcare to countries who are in need of help and uphold the dignity of
human rights as well as the nobility of camaraderie. This is reflected in
Clauses 1, 12 and 13 of the PRIA Code of Ethics where members shall not
ad hominem fellow members but share information and experiences in
order to improve the overall knowledge and this will reflect on the PRIA
that all members support and stand by each other which is something
that is also common with the lawyer’s code of ethics.

Anderson and Western (1976) mentioned that the characteristic of

a public relations professional is an experienced individual with a good
degree of knowledge and the correct qualification. Now, anyone can be a
practitioner even those who never graduate with a public relations
degree. Journalist, Salesman and Marketing people are just a few
examples of this transition. This is disturbing and degrading because
public relations is a profession not some factory job where everyone
without skills are able to do. To be a public relations practitioner, one
needs skills and the right personality. Accreditation proves that
practitioners are a legitimate, standardized, ethical and a profession with
integrity. Colleges and universities are constantly accredited and people
generally do not trust unaccredited institutions.

L’Etang (1997) argued that public relations need more publicity to

increase the public’s knowledge of the role of public relations in the
society because education is important in order to legitimate public
relations and finally acknowledge public relations as a profession and
Fairclough (1992) insists on utilizing public relations and propaganda to
defy power which Bernays (1923) states that the real value of
propaganda is to encourage public opinion through advocacy. The
primary way that public relations are able to serve the public interest is
through advocacy and public debate. Habermas (1984) theory of
communicative action explains that open and informed discussions are
favorable to the public interest where practitioners should participate in
debates about societal concerns and facilitate discussions between
organizations and the public. Habermas theory on public sphere relies
heavily on debates and public relations could be that platform where
public debate is encouraged.

Curtin and Boynton (2001) reasoned that professionalism equals to

deontological reasoning and code of ethics exists because it guides
decision making and reflects a practitioner’s accountability to the public.
Wright (1981) mentioned that codes reinforces ethical expectations,
discourages government interference hence, encouraging
professionalism. Besides that, accredited members are more professional
compared to non-accredited members. Bovet (1993) agreed that the
code is important because it addresses the public interest, encourages
honesty and integrity, as well as discourages conflict of interest, bribes,
disclosure of information and privacy and it promotes professional
reputation and enforcement of terms.

On the other hand, Motion, Leitch and Cliffe (2003) disagrees and
said that code of ethics are no more than “professional props” that is
completely futile but exists to show privilege and Weaver, Motion and
Roper (2006) called the codes as an attempt to make a malevolent
practice look good. Wall (2003) called the codes inadequate and should
include explicit definitions regarding public interest, clients, fellow
practitioners and self interest. For example, Article 1 of the code suggests
that members “shall deal fairly with the general public” but failed to
define the meaning and extent of “dealing fairly”. The lack of
transparency of the code had led to some consultancies to form their own
codes like Jackson Wells Morris (JWM), a Sydney based company. The MD
of JWM stated that social interest researches will be conducted before
representing a client.

Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) began in 1949 in New

South Wales and today, after 60 years, PRIA is in every state and the
practice of PR is in demand and it is evident with the estimation of $A250
million being spent annually in Australia on public relations according to
Tymson and Lazar. (2002) and Scanlon (2002) reported that the New
Zealand government spent more than &NZ 13 million on public relations
in 2002 and this shows that there is a growing need for public relations
practitioners. Unlike Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ),
PRIA has a stringent accreditation programme which is admirable and
should be adopted by all professional bodies. However, there are two
codes that are being practiced; The Consultancy Code of Practice and The
General Standards.

The PRIA code is the most extensive because it addresses the

issues of payment, and consultancy based jobs. However, it is not
compulsory for all practitioners to be a member and this is a growing
trend in a dire situation where the profession needs more ethical
practitioners. PRIA is one of the members of Global Alliance for Public
Relations and Communications Management and together they aim to
contribute towards a more ethical profession and enhance the practice of
public relations worldwide.

According to Singh and Smyth (2000), the catalyst for public

relations in Australia was due to the White Australian Policy where the
early years of public relations were spent lobbying for a change and
equality for the Aborigines. In year 2002, the major job duties consists of
promotions and publicity (59%), counseling and consulting (52.1%),
management (40%), press agentry (47.2%), internal communications
(30.9%) and Government relations, a mere 27% according to a survey
done by PRIA. Over the years, the job scope has evolved and
practitioners have forgotten its real practice area which is lobbying.
However, as Australia continued to enjoy greater economic growth with
the transformation of Australia as a free trade zone, there is a need for
investor relations according to Tymson and Lazar (2002)

Australia is the smallest continent and the 6th largest country in the
world, the media is generally fragmented with domination from big
private sectors such as Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Packer and the rise of
the internet has brought many changes to Australia. The two media
moguls were famous for their hands-on approach and Leitch (1990)
mentioned of a display of political bias which is rampant in countries like
United Kingdom where, for example, the readers and supporters of the
Labour Party will show their commitment to The Guardian newspaper
because most political parties has their own interest and the media is
normally utilized as a way to disseminate their ideas.

Code of ethics is important for moral reflection and camaraderie

where practitioners carry out their tasks with principles. One of the most
complicated codes of ethics belongs to the doctors and it consists of
human life and personal principles. One of the articles, “I shall not use
my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity” and this clause
is complicated because the question of euthanasia, abortion and all types
of other issues are involved. Sometimes, doing the right thing isn’t
necessarily the right thing under the circumstances. Unless one is faced
with such situations, one will never truly understand the consequences
and this is where the code of ethics comes into play. No one can dispute
the importance of the code and maybe the reason why the code doesn’t
specify and define each and every article is because the code wouldn’t
know what the situation is and besides that, it is open to the best
interpretation possible under the circumstances. However, the similarities
between the two codes are to provide services without economic profit as
well as professional conduct towards colleagues and the public. The
founding principles of most codes whether the medical, legal or public
relations is to serve mankind and that itself is the most beautiful thing.

In conclusion, the code of ethics is important in legitimizing the

noble profession of public relations and will finally give it a facelift. No
longer public relations is used to compare to other forms of shoddy
occupations but rather as an ethical, civilized and socially responsible
profession that helps in shaping public opinion as well as the power to
change policies through debates. The only way to ensure the nobility and
insure the professionalism of public relations is to gain legitimacy and
through socially responsible practice. Public relations has since come a
long way and the founding principles of Edward Bernays has always been
ethical practices and it should also be used as a reference for the future
to ensure noble practitioners and public relations as a profession. Like
what Fidel Castro said, “Ethics as a behavior is a fabulous treasure.”

(2111 words)

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