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Ethics in Public Relations
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Ethics in Public Relations
Responsible Advocacy

Edited by:
  • Kathy Fitzpatrick - American University, Washington DC, USA, Florida International University, North Miami, USA, Quinnipiac University, USA, De Paul University, Chicago, USA, University of Florida, USA, Southern Methodist University, USA, University of Southern California, USA
  • Carolyn Bronstein - DePaul University, USA


May 2006 | 256 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

"This is an intelligent book about serious issues in public relations: accountability, responsibility, transparency, loyalty, truthtelling, and fairness. It should be required reading in boardrooms, in PR classrooms, and at the Pentagon." - Jay Black, Editor, Journal of Mass Media Ethics  

"Ethics in Public Relations fills an important need at a time when the credibility of public relations (and some public relations practitioners and public relations firms) is under attack. In a manner that is never preachy or dogmatic, Fitzpatrick and Bronstein have put together a series of essays that have application across the public relations spectrum. They are sure to be informative and instructive both to long-time professionals and candidates for entry-level positions." - Harold Burson,  Founding Chairman, Burson Marstellar  

"This book is both highly readable and long overdue.  Fitzpatrick and Bronstein have produced a thoughtful, thorough, and very practical look at the ethical dimensions of public relations, not just in theory, but in everyday practice. The essays are sharp, witty, on-point and highly pragmatic. Their examples are relevant, their anecdotes purposeful. Given the state of the profession these days, it's difficult to see how students of public relations could call themselves current without first reading this smart collection of essays." - James S. O'Rourke IV, Professor and Director, The Eugene D. Fanning Center for Business Communication, University of Notre Dame  

"Fitzpatrick and Bronstein have for every public relations professional established a foundation to practice advocacy ethically. Practice settings may change, but Fitzpatrick and Bronstein demonstrate that the individual professional has an ongoing ethical imperative to advocate responsibly. Fitzpatrick's discussion of the PRSA Code of Ethics concept of advocacy (which she helped draft) breaks new and helpful ground, bringing clarity and substance to this crucial ingredient of most public relations practice." - James E. Lukaszewski, Chairman and President, The Lukaszewski Group Inc.  

Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy is the first book to identify universal principles of responsible advocacy in public relations. In this engaging book, editors Kathy Fitzpatrick and Carolyn Bronstein bring together prominent authorities in the field to address theoretic and practical issues that illustrate the broad scope and complexity of responsible advocacy in 21st-century public relations. The collection explores such matters as the fragile line between ethical and legal public relations practices, ethical challenges in building relationships with increasingly diverse publics, the requirements of ethical advocacy online, ethical accountability in organizational settings, the special ethical obligations of nonprofit groups, and ethical mandates in cross-border public relations.  


 
Introduction: Toward a Definitional Framework for Responsible Advocacy
Kathy Fitzpatrick
Chapter 1: Baselines for Ethical Advocacy in the “Marketplace of Ideas”
Thomas H. Bivins
Chapter 2: Responsibility and Accountability
Larissa A. Grunig and Elizabeth L. Toth
Chapter 3: The Ethics of Communicating With and About Difference in a Changing Society
Linda Hon
Chapter 4: Negotiating Relationships With Activist Publics
Carolyn Bronstein
Chapter 5: Responsible Advocacy for Nonprofit Organizations
Karla Gower
Chapter 6: Truth and Transparency
Kirk Hallahan
Chapter 7: Responsible Online Communication
Michael J. Palenchar and Robert L. Heath
Chapter 8: Responsible Advocacy Through Strategic Risk Communication
Philip Seib
Chapter 9: The Ethics of Public Diplomacy
Donald K. Wright
Chapter 10: Advocacy Across Borders

"This timely and thorough volume, edited by two communication professors at DePaul University, attempts to provide both a theoretical framework and some very practical strategies for what the authors call "responsible advocacy." Summing up: Highly recommended."

M.S Myers
Carnegie Mellon University

Excellent contribution to a very small field

Professor Daniel Valentine
Department Business Studies, Regent's University
November 9, 2015

A really useful text. I use with both under and postgraduate students.

Ms Carmel O'Toole
Communication & Media, Sheffield Hallam University
August 12, 2013

This is the best new book on public relations ethics for some time. It's accessible to a range of readers from students to serious practitioners.

Professor Tom Watson
Communications , Bournemouth University
September 16, 2010

Good overview of ethics - offers a nice theoretical perspective.

Professor Sandra Mardenfeld
Humanities Dept, St Thomas Aquinas College
February 20, 2010
Key features
  • Offers leading public relations scholars' perspectives on the ethical dimensions of public relations' advocacy role
  • Identifies universal principles of responsible advocacy that may be applied in practice
  • Provides practical examples and cases that illustrate the principles of responsible advocacy
  • Demonstrates the potential for unethical practices to invite heightened legal regulation of public relations.

 


 

      

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1

Chapter 5

Chapter 7


Sage College Publishing

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