Public Relations Ethics in Public Relations — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary professional code of ethics that guides PR practitioners in the United States?
- The IABC Code of Ethics
- The PRSA Code of Ethics (Correct answer)
- The SPJ Code of Ethics
- The AMA Code of Professional Conduct
Correct answer: The PRSA Code of Ethics
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Code of Ethics is the primary ethical framework guiding PR professionals in the United States.
Question 2: Which core PRSA ethical value requires practitioners to be truthful and never knowingly communicate false information?
- Loyalty
- Advocacy
- Honesty (Correct answer)
- Fairness
Correct answer: Honesty
Honesty is a core PRSA ethical value requiring practitioners to be truthful, accurate, and to never knowingly communicate false or misleading information.
Question 3: What is 'astroturfing' in public relations ethics?
- Organizing authentic grassroots community events
- Creating fake grassroots movements to simulate public support (Correct answer)
- Planting positive stories organically across media outlets
- Using real community organizers for advocacy campaigns
Correct answer: Creating fake grassroots movements to simulate public support
Astroturfing is the unethical practice of creating fake grassroots movements or manufactured public support to make a paid campaign appear authentic and spontaneous.
Question 4: Which PRSA core value requires PR professionals to be objective, accountable, and disclose conflicts of interest?
- Loyalty
- Advocacy
- Independence (Correct answer)
- Expertise
Correct answer: Independence
Independence requires practitioners to remain objective and accountable, which includes disclosing conflicts of interest to serve the broader public interest.
Question 5: What is a 'conflict of interest' in public relations ethics?
- A disagreement between the PR firm and its client over strategy
- A situation where personal or financial interests could compromise professional judgment (Correct answer)
- A dispute between two competing PR agencies for the same contract
- A legal disagreement between a corporation and a regulatory body
Correct answer: A situation where personal or financial interests could compromise professional judgment
A conflict of interest occurs when a PR practitioner's personal, financial, or professional interests could improperly influence or compromise their professional judgment or actions.
Question 6: Which ethical practice requires PR professionals to clearly identify paid or sponsored content to audiences?
- Full disclosure (Correct answer)
- Spin
- Flacking
- Earned media
Correct answer: Full disclosure
Full disclosure requires PR professionals to be transparent about the nature and source of communications, including clearly identifying any paid or sponsored content.
Question 7: In the PRSA Code of Ethics, what does the principle of 'fairness' require PR practitioners to do?
- Pay clients fairly for services rendered
- Treat all journalists equally regardless of publication size
- Respect all opinions and support the right to free expression (Correct answer)
- Distribute press releases equally to all media outlets
Correct answer: Respect all opinions and support the right to free expression
The PRSA ethical principle of fairness requires respecting all opinions, supporting the right to free expression, and protecting privacy rights in a democratic society.
Question 8: What does the FTC require when a blogger or social media influencer promotes a product in the US?
- They must register with the FTC before posting any promotional content
- They must disclose their material relationship with the brand (Correct answer)
- They must only post positive reviews to comply with endorsement standards
- They must submit all posts for FTC review and approval first
Correct answer: They must disclose their material relationship with the brand
The FTC requires bloggers, influencers, and endorsers to disclose any material connection (such as payment or free products) to the brand they are promoting.
Question 9: A PR practitioner discovers their client is engaged in illegal activity. What does the PRSA Code of Ethics advise?
- Cover up the activity to protect the client relationship
- Immediately alert law enforcement without informing the client
- Counsel the client to stop and consider resigning if they refuse to comply (Correct answer)
- Issue a press release denying all knowledge of the situation
Correct answer: Counsel the client to stop and consider resigning if they refuse to comply
PRSA ethics require practitioners to counsel clients against illegal or unethical activities, and practitioners should consider resigning if the client refuses to act ethically.
Question 10: What is 'greenwashing' in the context of PR ethics?
- Funding environmental cleanup projects as part of a CSR program
- Making false or misleading environmental claims to appear more eco-friendly (Correct answer)
- Hiring certified environmental consultants to develop green PR campaigns
- Using green color schemes in brand marketing and communications materials
Correct answer: Making false or misleading environmental claims to appear more eco-friendly
Greenwashing is the unethical practice of making false or exaggerated environmental claims to create the impression that a company or product is more environmentally responsible than it actually is.
Question 11: Which practice violates the PRSA Code of Ethics by corrupting the information channels of the media?
- Issuing a detailed and factual press release
- Paying journalists directly for favorable news coverage (Correct answer)
- Hosting a media conference with open Q&A
- Promptly responding to all media inquiries
Correct answer: Paying journalists directly for favorable news coverage
Paying journalists for favorable coverage (pay-for-play) is explicitly prohibited by the PRSA Code of Ethics because it corrupts the integrity and independence of media channels.
Question 12: What is a 'front group' in terms of PR ethics violations?
- A PR firm's senior management team that manages client relationships
- An organization that appears independent but is secretly funded by a hidden special interest (Correct answer)
- The first response team activated during a PR crisis situation
- A group of trained spokespeople who publicly represent a client organization
Correct answer: An organization that appears independent but is secretly funded by a hidden special interest
A front group is an organization that presents itself as independent or grassroots but is secretly funded and controlled by a hidden special interest, which constitutes deceptive communication.
Question 13: In whistleblower situations, what is a PR practitioner's primary ethical responsibility?
- Always side with the organization to protect the employer relationship
- Keep all internal information strictly confidential regardless of its nature
- Balance loyalty to employer with the obligation to protect the public interest (Correct answer)
- Immediately publicize all whistleblower claims to the media
Correct answer: Balance loyalty to employer with the obligation to protect the public interest
PR practitioners must balance their professional loyalty to their employer with their broader ethical obligation to protect the public interest and avoid participating in concealing wrongdoing.
Question 14: Simultaneously representing two directly competing clients in the same industry creates what type of ethical problem?
- Full service representation
- Dual representation
- Conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- Competitive representation
Correct answer: Conflict of interest
Representing competing clients in the same industry creates a conflict of interest because the practitioner cannot fully and independently serve both clients' strategic interests without compromising one.
Question 15: The Potter Box is a widely used ethical decision-making model in PR. What is the first step in this four-step model?
- Identify your loyalties to all affected parties
- Define the situation by establishing the facts of the case (Correct answer)
- Apply philosophical ethical principles to the dilemma
- Identify your personal and professional values
Correct answer: Define the situation by establishing the facts of the case
The Potter Box model begins with defining the situation (establishing the facts of the case) before progressing to identifying values, applying ethical principles, and choosing loyalties.
Question 16: Which organization established the first formal code of ethics for public relations practitioners in the United States?
- IABC (International Association of Business Communicators)
- PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) (Correct answer)
- IPR (Institute for Public Relations)
- CPRS (Canadian Public Relations Society)
Correct answer: PRSA (Public Relations Society of America)
PRSA established the first professional code of ethics for PR practitioners in the United States, originally adopted in 1950 and revised multiple times since.
Question 17: Which ethical concept requires PR professionals to consider the impact of their actions on all affected groups, not just the paying client?
- Client primacy
- Fiduciary duty
- Stakeholder responsibility (Correct answer)
- Profit maximization
Correct answer: Stakeholder responsibility
Stakeholder responsibility requires PR practitioners to consider the interests and potential impacts on all affected parties, extending ethical consideration beyond just the paying client.
Question 18: Under the PRSA Code of Ethics, what obligation does a PR professional retain regarding a former client after changing employers?
- They must destroy all former client files before leaving the agency
- They must maintain confidentiality of former clients' proprietary information (Correct answer)
- They are free to share client strategies with their new employer
- They must wait one year before working on any competing accounts
Correct answer: They must maintain confidentiality of former clients' proprietary information
The PRSA Code requires practitioners to protect the confidentiality of current and former clients' proprietary information even after the professional relationship ends.
Question 19: What is 'two-way symmetric communication,' considered by many scholars to be the most ethical PR model?
- Sending the same message simultaneously to two different target audiences
- Using both digital and traditional media channels for the same campaign
- An equal dialogue where both organization and public can mutually influence each other (Correct answer)
- Communicating with media only during scheduled, designated press conference hours
Correct answer: An equal dialogue where both organization and public can mutually influence each other
Two-way symmetric communication, developed by James Grunig, represents the most ethical PR model because it creates genuine dialogue allowing mutual understanding and influence between organizations and their publics.
Question 20: What should a PR practitioner do if a client instructs them to spread disinformation about a competitor?
- Comply if the client is willing to pay a significantly higher rate
- Execute the campaign anonymously to limit personal liability
- Decline and explain that it violates professional ethics and the PRSA Code (Correct answer)
- Consult a lawyer first and proceed only if the activity is technically legal
Correct answer: Decline and explain that it violates professional ethics and the PRSA Code
Spreading disinformation violates core PRSA ethical principles of honesty and fairness; practitioners must decline such requests even at the cost of losing the client.
Question 21: Which federal law requires PR professionals and lobbyists representing foreign governments to register with the US Department of Justice?
- The Communications Decency Act
- The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) (Correct answer)
- The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
- The Federal Trade Commission Act
Correct answer: The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires PR practitioners, lobbyists, and consultants who represent foreign governments or political parties to register with and disclose their activities to the US Department of Justice.
Public Relations Ethics in Public Relations
What is the primary professional code of ethics that guides PR practitioners in the United States?
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Sources & references
Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy
- accreditation.prsa.org — Renewal, registration, retake fee, retake policy, score release, test dates, eligibility, fees, exam format · verified Oct 2026
- nspra.org — Test delivery · verified Oct 2026