Miller 1

Rachael Miller Professor Hartman Public Relations 3215 9 September 2013 History and Ethics Analysis The field of Public Relations has been and continues to be prominent yet controversial. Public Relations tactics began in the early ancient times and continued its historical impact through many eras until it evolved into the PR we know of today. However, as PR evolved and gained popularity, it became vulnerable to questions raised about ethical issues. Throughout history ethical dilemmas in PR have become more common, making it impossible to participate in PR without being subjected to ethical questions. In ancient times Public Relations tactics were utilized in a multitude of ways. For example, in the Roman Empire Julius Caesar used PR tactics to win the publics approval and fulfill his goal of becoming the emperor. He established his identity by publishing a book, Commentaries, and held lavish parades for himself after returning from battle to assert his role as a leader (Wilcox and Cameron 37). Another historical example of the use of PR tactics was the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. Pope Urban II used the concept of PR to hold events and used propaganda to convince the public to participate in the Crusades. The Catholic Church was the first to utilize the term propaganda when Pope Gregory XV founded the College of Propaganda. The purpose of the college was to ingrain the use of propaganda for their Catholic faith into priests who would in turn propagate their faith into the public (Wilcox and Cameron 37-38). In the 1950s and beyond the field of Public Relations was firmly established due to the

Miller 2

rapid growth of the economy after WWII, technological advances and other essential factors (Wilcox and Cameron 51-53). After the establishment of the Public Relations field, the matter of ethics became more evident. According to the textbook, Public Relations Strategies and Tactics, written by Dennis Wilcox and Glen Cameron, Ethics refers to the standards of conduct which indicates how one should behave based upon moral duties and virtues rising from principles of right and wrong (66). An example of an ethical situation in recent years was when Childrens Hospital in Ohio renamed their Emergency Department Abercrombie & Fitch after accepting a hefty donation of 10 million dollars. The decision caught the publics attention and raised the question of whether or not the decision was ethical considering Abercrombie & Fitchs history of portraying young adolescents and teens as sexual objects (Wilcox and Cameron 80). Although Abercrombie and Fitch donated a large and respectable amount of money, PR representatives for Childrens Hospital in Ohio should have considered if Abercrombie and Fitchs image is respectable. Other ethical issues in the Public Relations field can be seen when spokespersons convey distorted or even untruthful messages from their client to the public. Many people would agree that spokespersons that provide misleading information on behalf of their client is an unethical practice (Wilcox and Cameron 82). PR has a controversial image due to unethical practices such as these. However, in the year 2000 the PRSA Code of Ethics was put into place in order to establish a guide for PR practitioners to follow ethical guidelines (Hayes, Hendrix and Kumar 7). This code should serve as something the PR industry should follow in order to save their reputation and avoid future ethical issues. Ethics will always play a key role in the PR industry, however, their image will be judged on whether or not they will react to an issue in a professional, honest, and admirable way.

Miller 3

The history and ethics of PR has evolved throughout the many years of its existence. Ethics became more evident with the growth of PR and with the development of media coverage. Ethics still plays a key role in PR today. The PR industry will continue to expand and flourish as long as ethics is continuously regarded as a significant aspect of the industry. Without ethics, PR and its history will have a negative public perception.

Miller 4

Works Cited Hayes, D; Hendrix, J. & Kumar, P. (2013). Public Relations Cases (9th ed.). Boston: Wadsworth. Wilcox, Dennis, and GlennPul Cameron. Public Relations Strategies and Tactics. 10th. Pearson Education, 2012. Print.