Public Relations Ethics in Public Relations 1 — 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.
Public Relations Ethics in Public Relations 1
What is the primary professional code of ethics that guides PR practitioners in the United States?