The Importance Of Having A Personal Code Of Ethics
Almost as soon as I decided to major in public relations, the ‘spin’ jokes began. For many, PR is tainted by this concept portrayed in movies that isn’t really condoned in the professional world. A college professor frequently discussed spin as a bad word and fervently taught the value of ethics. In fact, during my first PR class we had to sign an agreement to the PRSA Code of Ethics. Being a Christian school, my education heavily swayed to the morally correct and discussions about doing the ‘right thing’ even when it’s hard.
Ethics, especially when dealing with the branch of philosophy, can be a very complex thing, but it basically boils down to moral principles, both individually and as a system. We are guided by our ethics to do what is morally right according to our individual beliefs.
Sometimes our ethics come in to play in small, almost inconsequential matters. In my job, I write web copy for my company’s various sites. Often information is presented to me in its original form from another source. Even worse, this information might already be on our site and I’m supposed to elaborate. It’s easy to sit back and say they took it, not me, so I should just leave it as copied. My commitment to honesty keeps me from using the material and instead rewriting to make sure we’re putting out original work. It seemed like the rest of the world knew about Ethics Awareness Month and decided to provide case studies for us to examine. August ended with The Fat Jew, aka Josh Ostrovsky, being accused of stealing other comedians’ jokes without proper accreditation. Kim Davis, a law clerk from Kentucky, followed her own personal code and refused to give marriage licenses to homosexual couples because of her religious beliefs. YouTube personality Nicole Arbour released a video claiming fat shaming wasn’t a thingwhile fat shaming America. Most recently, comedian Steve Rannazzisi came clean about his more than a decade old lie about surviving 9/11. Woof. While these are four very different situations, they revolve around the idea of following a personal code of ethics and the possible sacrifice to get something accomplished, but not without consequence. Both Ostrovsky and Arbour lost contracts because of their scandals. Davis was jailed and Rannazzisi is feeling the public distaste for his claim.
Rannazzisi and Ostrovsky leveraged their lies for fame, using it as a leg up to make them unique or get noticed. Arbour, who was in talks to choreograph and anti-bullying movie, used her platform to tear down so many under the idea that it was ‘comedy’ while completely misunderstanding fat shaming.
Davis, however, had a strong moral code and stuck to it despite media attention and outrage. The new law conflicted with her religion and she refused to waiver. As a Christian, many would think I applaud her actions, but I don’t. With or without God in the situation, the point remains – just because you don’t agree with something doesn’t mean you can just stop doing your job. Especially as a government employee. When faced with an ethical dilemma, you need to choose. If you don’t agree with something your company is doing, talk to your boss and see about reassignment or if maybe if the situation can be changed. If change isn’t possible, think about how important it is to you and take the next appropriate step. Maybe that involves compromise or maybe you quit your job.
All of this illustrates why you need to have a personal code of ethics that you stick to in all situations. Without this individual code, we may fall too far down the rabbit hole and end up like the comedians who lied to get ahead. Eventually everything comes around. Your reputation as a practitioner is worth more than temporary gain built on an unethical practice.
