Nobody can tell you exactly what to do when you get unethical communications requests, but it’s something we all come across at some point in our career.
I was a guest speaker last week for a group of interns from a US Representative’s office, and we were talking about the intersection of communications, travel & tourism, crisis communications and policymaking.
It was a great discussion.
And I’ve had the opportunity to do some amazing work over the course of my career. I’ve gotten to promote Super Bowls and the Republican National Convention and create campaigns around theme park attraction launches.
I’ve managed some major crises, dealt with a lot of issues, and even got to work with SeaWorld during the Blackfish crisis, which is where this story comes full circle.
Of course the interns asked about Blackfish and the communications around that. And we had a great discussion. I’m always happy to discuss that – it’s a big thing!
But I was asked an interesting follow up question. I’ve been asked this question before, but it took on a new meaning for some reason when I was asked this time.
An intern asked, “were you ever asked to do anything unethical and how did you respond?” and it was asked right after we spoke about Blackfish, so I’m assuming it was connected to my time there.
For whatever reason, that question stopped me in my tracks. Maybe it was everything that’s happened over the last year. Maybe it’s because the last time I was asked that question I hadn’t started my own business.
Whatever the reason, there I was.
I won’t go into the entire long response, but for the purpose of this video, it got me thinking about some tips for communicators when you ARE put in that uncomfortable position that sets off your ethical or moral radar.
Your goal as a communicator is to provide expertise that is guided by your moral compass and ethical decision making. Your goal is NOT to put every piece of information out to your audiences.
Yes, transparency is crucial, and has become even more vital over the past year or so. But transparency doesn’t mean putting everything out there. I wrote about 5 W’s of transparency, so take a look!
The 5 W’s of Transparency – Meeting Audience Demand
Oftentimes your company is looking to you to provide opinions and direction and you need to keep your goal in mind, which is communicate honestly, transparency, and ethically, but to do so in a way that is responsible to your audiences, especially the brand you represent.
Especially with a publicly traded company, there are always going to be guardrails on what you can and cannot say for any major event. This is a constant thorn in the side of communicators, but it’s something we deal with.
For communicators, we often have access to a ton of information that we can’t put out in the public space. But that information can help guide you in determining the right path forward.
Use the information you have to guide your strategy, and work with your team to determine the information you can use to craft your messaging. Remember, just because you have the information doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to put it out there for people to consume.
This may be the most difficult thing a communicator will face in their career. Being asked to do something you don’t agree with morally or ethically is not a fun place to me-trust me, I’ve been there.
As a public relations and communications professional, you need to be willing to say “no” if someone asks you to do something that doesn’t align with your ethical or moral principles. In the moment, there can be a thousand reasons to just go with the flow and compromise your professional ethics or sacrifice your morals to get the job done.
“It’s not as bad as I really think it is.”
“I’m not the one who’s directing the action, so it’s not on me.”
“We’re in the middle of a crisis, so we need to just look the other way.”
If you’re in the industry long enough, you’ll work through all of these and more as you reflect on the actions you could make, or you’re being asked to do.
It’s not easy to stop and say “no, we shouldn’t do” but you have a responsibility to do just that. The best we can do as communicators is provide strategic, ethical and moral guidance and hope that those who are leading the company use it to inform their decision making.
I’ve also been discussing how you can find success following the Coronavirus crisis through the RADD approach, which is Recognize, Adapt, Develop, and Deploy. Check out our previous posts to see how you can succeed with the RADD process:
– Get RADD And Plan For Success Following Coronavirus Crisis
– Prepare for Success and Get RADD, Part 1: Recognize
– Finding Success By Getting RADD, Part 2: Adapt
– Get RADD, Part 3: Develop Plans For Success
– Deploying Your RADD Communications Plan
Here are some additional resources for your crisis planning efforts:
– There’s Still Time To Communicate During the Coronavirus Crisis
– Is Pitching Media A Good Idea During COVID-19?
– Internal Communications During A Crisis
– A Meaningful Message, Or Pandering Without Purpose
And here are some additional blogs to help with your strategic communications planning:
– Pitching Media Like The Pros
– 7 Tips for Successful Media Interviews
– Don’t Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of Effective
– Wake Up. Kick Ass. Repeat.
– How to Create Content That Engages Audiences and Builds Brand Trust Quickly
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