Significance of Ethics in Public Relations and the

Significance of Ethics in Public Relations and the Role of Public Relations Associations in Ethics Education: Middle Eastern Public Relations Association as a Case Serra Gorpe and Noela Michael Zayed University, Dubai UAE

Motivation behind the Study • Significance of public relations ethics both from professional and educational perspectives • Ethical dilemmas • Role of professional public relations associations

Overview of the Study • An extension of the research done by Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management Association (GA) in public relations ethics. National public relations associations. • Replicates the same research for the Middle Eastern Public Relations Association (MEPRA)

…Overview of the Study • An analysis of the MEPRA Code of Ethics and personal communication with MEPRA. • Same questions of the GA Study • Further action and collaboration to advance public relations ethics.

Outline • Public relations ethics, significance • Public Relations Associations: what are their mission? • Middle Eastern Public Relations Association (MEPRA)& PR Landscape in the UAE • Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management Ethics Study

Ethics, Importance of Public Relations Ethics Professional dimension Educational dimension 1. The Professional Bond (November, 2006). Public relations ethics is one of the minimum five courses that needs to be included in the undergraduate curriculum. 2. Industry-Educator Summit on Public Relations Education (2015): integrity and ethics- top personality traits of the entry-level practitioners

Public Relations Ethics • Key characteristics of professions include “ethics. ” • Criteria for professions attribute a role to professional associations. • Key processes of professionalization 1) emergence of sufficient practitioners to form a critical mass, 2) establishment of training, 3) founding of professional organizations 4) protection by law-status and 5) adoption of the code of ethics (L’Etang, 2008, p. 39).

Public Relations Ethics • Becoming a profession from an occupation is an evolutionary process. • Reputation. Public relations. Clean history? • Professionalism, professionalization and ethics are interrelated • One way is through uniting professionals through codes of ethics. • Code of ethics: credibility standards to the profession and help to increase the reputation of public relations.

Code of Ethics and Public Relations • Ethic codes show the core values and suggest means to achieve these. • • General guidelines making the practitioner rely on its individual interpretation (Bowen, 2004, p. 75). • Different code of ethics: international, societal, professional, organizational and personal codes of ethics • International Public Relations Association GA • Several codes prepared by professional associations.

Code of Ethics and Public Relations Code of Venice (http: //www. ipra. org/images/Code%20 of%20 Venice. pdf) IPRA Code of Athens, the first international code of public relations (Watson, 2014 and http: //www. ipra. org/images/Code%20 of%20 Athens. pdf) Code of Lisbon- European Code of Professional Conduct (http: //www. polisphere. eu/database/verhaltenskodizes/european-code-ofprofessional-conduct-in-pr-code-of-lisbon/). Code of Brussels (http: //www. ipra. org/images/Code%20 of%20 Brussels. pdf) Tehran 1968 (http: //www 1. umn. edu/humanrts/instree/l 2 ptichr. htm) Stockholm Charter replacing Rome Charter (http: //www. iccopr. com/members/stockholm-charter/) Helsinki Charter (http: //www. tuhid. org/pdf/helsinki-bildirgesi_1381389882. pdf Specific codes

PR Associations and the PR Industry • Choice of the priorities • IPRA Gulf Chapter, national chapter and MEPRA based in Dubai, 2001. • UAE PR- Function 1970 s’ 1980 s • Rapid socio-economic, educational and cultural changes • Nature and purpose of PR function

Global Alliance Ethics Research • Comparative analysis report on the various codes in use by public relations associations. 16 associations. • Comparison of selected codes of ethics • Enforcement of these existing codes

Method • Analysis of MEPRA Code of Conduct • Personal Communication

• Which international Code has MEPRA integrated in its own Code of Conduct? When is it adopted, last updated and if any revisions were made? • What is the process of making a complaint to the association? • What is the action/s taken for the complaints? • What types of complaints does the association receive and the number of complaints received? • Does the association enforce the Code? If so, how?

Findings 1 The MEPRA Code of Conduct – 9 items Honesty, Advocacy/expertise Independence Loyalty, Fairness Free flow of information Competition Disclosure of information Confidentiality Conflict of interest Enhancing the profession Obligation to Code Enforcement 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 -

Findings 2 Code of Venice 2001 Updated 2014 Initially separate for individual members and agency members • Simpler and more straightforward for the members of the association to understand • •

Findings 3 • No enforcement. No sanctions or punishments. Ask the member to leave MEPRA. • • Process of complaint. • MEPRA’s role is “one of mediation” • Having complaints: “very unusual” One or two complaints on “poor service, ” or, more rarely, defamation ((A. Malouf, personal communication. 17 and 27 January 2016)

Concluding Remarks • The MEPRA Code of conduct- similar • Simple • “Do and do not” • Loyalty, fairness and public interest • Universal codes, but… • Predominantly non-locals • New structure- Independent Ethics Committee

What Next? • Education… • ?