Ethics: Codes of Conduct
This essay is excerpted from A Responsible Press Office in the Digital Age, published by the Bureau of International Information Programs.
The government press officer exists in two realms. You represent the government's position to the public, but you also are responsible for representing the interests of the press to government officials. In a sense, you must serve two masters. This dual role can sometimes pose difficult ethical challenges.
As a press spokesperson, what do you do if your boss tells you to withhold from the press information that is not classified? What do you do if your boss lies to the media, and you know it?
Government press officials have to deal with these questions in every country, including the United States. To help them do this, U.S. communicators at all levels of government have come together, such as through the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC), to develop a proposed code of behavior.
Government spokesmen must make decisions that serve the public interest and their employers, as well as their personal principles and professional standards. When these values are in conflict, professional codes of conduct can help one determine a course of action. They are the conscience of a profession. Equally important, a code of ethics can give an employer a clear understanding of the standards of behavior that his or her employees will follow.
Credibility and integrity are essential to a communications official. Although it is important to show loyalty to an employer, anything less than total honesty with the media - and the public - will destroy a spokesperson's credibility, and ultimately obliterate that person's value to an employer as well.
The trust of the media in a spokesperson is hard earned and achieved over time through highly professional and ethical behavior. Thus, the first goal of an ethical communicator is to communicate truthfully the reality of an event, issue, policy or plan.
Government Media: Common Principles
While it might seem that the government and the media should be adversarial in their codes of behavior, in a democracy their codes have many principles in common. In the United States, for example, government communicators and journalists' codes of behavior mandate that a professional be truthful, accurate and accountable to the public; not have conflicting interests; work in the public interest; be fair; and be a steward of the public's trust. Ultimately, all that reporters and government spokesmen have is their credibility. Once that is gone, they cannot do their jobs effectively.
On the subject of seeking truth and reporting it, the Code of Ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) states, "Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information." Under being accountable, it says, "Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other." It states they should "admit mistakes and correct them promptly."
Similarly, in its code of ethics, the NAGC says that government communicators will "intentionally communicate no false or misleading information and will act promptly to correct false or misleading information or rumors."
Both codes of ethics state that their professionals will serve the public, not themselves. The SPJ states that its members "believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. The NAGC Code of Ethics says, "We believe that truth is inviolable and sacred; that providing public information is an essential civil service; and that the public at large and each citizen therein has a right to equal, full, understandable, and timely facts about their government."
Establishing a Code of Ethics
The ideals expressed in these codes provide a guide, but how can ethical issues be tackled in places where they might not have been thoroughly thought out? Government press officials should consider doing the following:
.. Write up codes of ethics for government spokesmen and circulate them widely both to those in the profession, to their employers, to the media and citizens.
.. Set up meetings of government spokesmen. Form professional associations and clubs. Peer pressure to perform to certain levels of behavior serves as a counterweight to unethical actions. And talking about frustrations, common interests, and conflicts may help reduce them.
.. Enhance educational programs for those who want to go into press relations by adding courses on ethics.
.. For those already in the profession, encourage training both in the country and out of the country. Seeing how others perform offers the opportunity to pick up best practices.
.. Establish online and print publications and social media sites to exchange information on dealing with similar problems.
NAGC Ethical Code
The following provides the key sections from the ethical code of the National Association of Government Communicators.
"Members will:
.. Conduct themselves professionally, with truth, accuracy, fairness, responsibility, accountability to the public, and adherence to generally accepted standards of good taste.
.. Conduct their professional lives in accord with the public interest, in recognition that each of us is a steward of the public's trust.
.. Convey the truth to their own agencies' management, engaging in no practice which could corrupt the integrity of channels of communication or the processes of government.
.. Intentionally communicate no false or misleading information and will act promptly to correct false or misleading information or rumors.
.. Identify publicly the names and titles of individuals involved in making policy decisions, the details of decision-making processes, and how interested citizens can participate.
.. Represent no conflicting or competing interests and will fully comply with all statutes, executive orders, and regulations pertaining to personal disclosure of such interests.
.. Avoid the possibility of any improper use of information by an 'insider' or third party and never use inside information for personal gain.
.. Guarantee or promise the achievement of no specified result beyond the member's direct control.
.. Accept no fees, commissions, gifts, promises of future consideration, or any other material or intangible valuable that is, or could be perceived to be, connected with public service employment or activities.
.. Safeguard the confidence of both present and former employees, and of information acquired in meetings and documents, as required by law, regulation, and prudent good sense.
.. Not wrongly injure the professional reputation or practice of another person, private organization, or government agency.
.. Participate in no activity designed to manipulate the price of a company's securities."
The code also states that if a member has evidence or suspicion of an unethical, illegal, or unfair practice, that he or she should inform an NAGC official. If found in violation, the person engaged in the unethical practice could be asked to leave the association.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)
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