Public Relations Professionals Identify Ethical Issues, Essential Competencies and Deficiencies

ABSTRACT The 2017 Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE) report found new professionals are not meeting employers’ expectations regarding ethics knowledge, skills and abilities. This mixed-method study identifies the most common ethical issues facing public relations professionals today, essential competencies associated with ethics in public relations, and which of those skills are lacking. The study began with a Delphi survey with public relations leaders followed by 40 personal interviews. Implications for educators and public relations professionals are provided. In addition, a model of public relations practice, drawing on virtue theory, is proposed that contrasts the role of an ethical conscience with that of a spin doctor.