Several of the Liquid team members recently joined a webinar on the Ethos and Ethics of a PR Consultant from World Communications Forum Association (WCFA), which Liquid has just joined as a corporate member. The webinar was led by Christina Forsgård, Ethics Chair at the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO).

After finding her lecture incredibly insightful, we’ve rounded up our biggest take-aways and learnings from the session.

Understanding our responsibility as PRs

As PR professionals, our clients turn to us for our understanding, skills, and tools to influence what people think and do. This is a big responsibility to carry, so our clients need to trust that we do so ethically.

It’s important to note that ethical judgement isn’t always straightforward, so decisions should be shared between colleagues to ensure everybody collectively agrees with the approach. With increased importance being placed on ethical practices, understanding our shared responsibilities is more important than ever. 

The rise of the ethical economy

The increase of ethical behaviours is birthing a new economic system – the ethical economy – where companies and consumers are placing more value on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programmes.

Businesses are being questioned on their purpose and the justification of why they’re in the market, with one major question looming: how do they earn the trust of their audiences? To compete in the current market and convince audiences of their validity, companies must prove they are considering the big picture and making strides to tackle wide issues.

The five major problems in the world

During any conversation about ethics, it is necessary to discuss the problems plaguing the world, that we have a duty to respond to. Currently, the most prominent issues facing the world are the pandemic, economic issues, systemic oppression, democracy, and the climate.

Algorithms against mental health

While algorithms can be a great asset to PRs, using them comes with their own set of risks. Algorithms have been programmed to recommend content based on a range of factors that we, as consumers, are supposed to like or find interesting.

One danger is that this can snowball, showing biased results or content that distributes disinformation or misinformation, all in the algorithm’s attempt to please the consumer. This can cause biased mindsets or echo chambers, which can, in turn, lead to hostile narratives and hate speech, as well as emotional and behavioural triggers.

A prime example of this is the 2020 American election controversy, in which Facebook algorithms perpetuated the spread of misinformation. This resulted in billions of page views circulating mistruths, evidencing a lack of thoughtful ethical judgement.

Ethical thinking is a fragile journey up

While we all understand that we must implement more ethical practices, it can be a delicate process which could go wrong, be misconstrued, or be seen as virtue signalling.

For PR agencies, the biggest ethical challenges often come from pressures from clients, the lack of consequences for not behaving ethically, or a lack of clear guidance from industry bodies.

Where is our ethical judgement constantly challenged in our client work?

There are many situations that challenge our ethical judgement and require in-depth conversations to reach a conclusion. For PRs, it makes us question:  

• What kind of clients should we not work for? 
• What does transparency mean to us? 
• What are ethically questionable campaigns? 
• Why is freedom of the press fundamental to us? 
• How do we use digital tools ethically?
• With TikTok’s audience being mainly children, is it ethical to use TikTok as a platform? 

To learn more about ethics in digital communications, Christina recommended the Ethics Guide to Artificial Intelligence in PR from CIPR as a useful tool to learn more.

Do you have any tips on social responsibility and business ethics? We’d love for you to share them with us on social media!

And if you’re looking for a PR agency in Birmingham, get in touch today for expert advice on social responsibility and business ethics.