PERSONAL CODE OF ETHICS

Ethics

Ethics are the structures of what is considered right and wrong. Every day someone encounters tens of thousands of decisions they must make, and a lot of those have moral implications. How we rationalize the decisions we make portrays our ethical decision-making (Plaisance, 2014). All in all, ethics is about the actions you choose in situations with potential consequences. A decision you make, while it may seem harmless, can hurt those surrounding you. Decisions must be made from an ethical standpoint to avoid this.

Background

Throughout my life, I have been shaped by both my family and my environment regarding what I value, the principles I hold, and how I make decisions. These factors have shaped how I make decisions day-to-day based on the morals I have developed throughout my life.  My dad has always taught me to value self-control, honesty, and justice. He lived through these values every day, and as I grew up, I understood the importance of these values and how they affect me, the people around me, and society. My mother values hard work, commitment, and independence. My mom’s dedication to her values has allowed me to excel professionally, as the values I picked up from her proved versatile in the professional setting. 

The values that I value most are hard work, humanness, and honesty. I value hard work because hard work is one of the building blocks of success. The hard work I put in daily has a positive effect on those around me. I value humanness because we are all human. We should treat everyone with respect and dignity because they deserve it as a human being. I value honesty because deceit only breaks people apart. Lying is never a solution and it will only get you into more trouble. These values guide my personal life and contribute to my success professionally. 

My Personal Ethical Code

1. In every interaction I have with others, I will treat them with respect, dignity, and kindness. 

Regarding what is right and wrong, it is always wrong to treat someone with honor and respect. In my interactions with my coworkers, the company I serve, and the people my work impacts; I will strive to make sure everyone feels valued and respected as that is my duty to those around me and those affected by my work. Using the Judeo-Christian Persons as Ends idea, you should treat everyone the way you want to be treated (Hopper, 2024). If this level of mutual respect is supported, society will benefit. Therefore, I plan to uphold the values of humanness and kindness in the mass communications field.

2. I will be transparent and honest in the work I produce.

I strive to create a strong sense of trust with the people around me and those affected by me. When releasing information or press releases to the public, I strive to include all information that allows my audience to fully understand and inform them on the current matter at hand. I will never intentionally mislead the public I serve and omit facts for any reason (Plaisance, 2014). 

Kant’s Categorical Imperative can be applied to this as honesty and transparency are always right and deceit and secrecy are always wrong (Hopper, 2024). Honesty and Transparency are so important to uphold because they allow for the creation of trust, and trust is a beneficial thing to have with the public I serve. 

1. I will always allow constructive criticism and I will use it to improve my ethical decision-making.

While I have values and principles that I use when going about my daily life, there is always room for improvement. I will strive to be open to all criticism as it can improve myself and my work in the public relations field, and to the people impacted by my work. If someone disapproves of the way I conducted a public relations campaign, I will consult them on what was wrong and what can be improved. Mill’s Principle of Utility is a representation of this as seeking the criticism and thoughts of others can allow for the greater happiness of the public I serve (Hopper, 2024). All in all, I strive for improvement and will take all the input I can.

2. I will always keep the publics my work is created for a top priority when producing my work. 

When producing my work, I will consider how what I produce will affect others. If my work negatively affects others, I will seek another option that is beneficial to the public I serve. If my work can affect society, I want it to have a positive effect. Therefore, I will apply Nodding’s’ Relational Ethics principle of caregiver and the cared for as the caregiver through the work I produce (Hopper, 2024).  Ultimately, I want the people I serve to see me as a source of trust and good nature.

3.  I will accept responsibility for the lack of adherence to my moral obligations and accept accountability for those actions. 

Throughout my career, it will be of utmost importance to take full consideration of the ethics needed to complete each task and goal. If I were to ever behave or make an unethical choice, I am devoted to holding myself accountable and allowing others to do the same. I believe it is up to both myself and those around me to support each other professionally and ethically. 

4. I will always keep the publics my work is created for a top priority when producing my work. 

When producing my work, I will consider how what I produce will affect others. If my work negatively affects others, I will seek another option that is beneficial to the public I serve. If my work can affect society, I want it to have a positive effect. Therefore, I will apply Nodding’s’ Relational Ethics principle of caregiver and the cared for as the caregiver through the work I produce (Hopper, 2024).  Ultimately, I want the people I serve to see me as a source of trust and good nature.

5.  I will accept responsibility for the lack of adherence to my moral obligations and accept accountability for those actions. 

Throughout my career, it will be of utmost importance to take full consideration of the ethics needed to complete each task and goal. If I were to ever behave or make an unethical choice, I am devoted to holding myself accountable and allowing others to do the same. I believe it is up to both myself and those around me to support each other professionally and ethically. 

Real-World Application

In the real world, I can adhere to my code of ethics in multiple situations throughout my career as a public relations professional. When dealing with misleading or false information, I will remain loyal to the code of honesty and transparency. It will be my duty to fact-check and write clearly so that the information I produce is not misleading. If I fail to do this, the trust I have built for the company with its public will see the company without a sense of trust or credibility. 

Additionally, when a campaign is seen as unfavorable, I will dedicate my time to reaching out to consumers to address their concerns so that I can help the company better handle its public relations efforts. Feedback and constructive criticism are the backbone of success and without them, I would fail professionally. 

Conclusion

To end, my personal experiences throughout life have shaped me into who I am today. They have allowed me to transfer these values into a professional setting and uphold the ethics behind them when making a decision. These values will not only allow me to excel in the mass communications field but in my primary career field of public relations. I plan to uphold this code and add to it throughout my professional career. 

Reference

Plaisance, P. (2014). Media Ethics: Key Principles for Responsible Practice. Sage Books 

Hopper, M. (2024). Media Ethics: Theoretical Principles Categories [Lecture Notes]

Ochoa, S. (2023, October 4). 10 Ethical concerns every public relations professional should address | Sammis Ochoa.