I want my Ethics!

If you’re looking for a code of ethics to subscribe to then you defiantly have some options. There is WOMMA or the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association, there’s the AFF or the PRSA, and the SPJ and the Page Principles, and that’s just to name a few. Each code of ethics is refined to apply to a certain type of public business. The SPJ is the code of ethics for journalists while the AFF deals mostly with advertising and the PRSA is the code of ethics for most PR people. And even though these different codes of ethics deal with the public in different ways, just about all of them advocate honesty and truth in dealings with the public, employers and clients.

While I was scrolling through some of the different codes of ethics I noticed something that caught my eye in the WOMMA code. One of the condition for membership into WOMMA is “Not having been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or fraud by a court of competent jurisdiction”, something that the AFF, SPJ or the PRSA didn’t mention. I think it’s just common sense to make sure that you don’t allow membership into an organization that deal’s with ethical practices if you have been convicted of something like perjury. I would of thought that maintaining ones own personal ethics would be the first step in finding membership into an organization like the SPJ.

I was also surprised to find that the SPJ code of ethics states that a journalist should “Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable” but it also stated that a journalist should “Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.” This seems like a conflict to me. I understand that people like the President or Congressmen and women are public figures but what about CEO’s of companies? Aren’t they private citizens? They still wield power in our society and some of them, such as the leaders of the tobacco industry, hold sway over our public elections. So do they still get the same consideration as the foreman at a steel mill? I don’t think so. It could be that some of the rules in the SPJ code of ethics are more along like guidelines and that a journalist should use his own judgment when reporting a story. Or they could actually be well defined rules unless you’re trying to nail someone’s ass to the wall.

Speaking of guidelines, this brings me to the AAF. When you read the rules set forth by the AAF they seem pretty straightforward. Don’t purposefully mislead the public. Don’t have spokespeople who lie. Don’t be obscene. Seems like pretty cut and dry stuff. But I guess its all in the interpretation of the rule because I’ve seen some pretty risqué ads before and it seems like they are popping up more and more. But who decides whether or not something is obscene or just art? A&F ads usually feature barely dressed men and women and Paul Rubens used to paint fully naked women, so which one is the smut peddler?

Don’t get me wrong, I fully believe in ethics and that businesses should conduct themselves truthfully and honestly. But it seems like that some of these ethical rules are being bent by many of the organizations that they are supposed to protect.