Integrity for many is a key corporate value and the subject of recent blogs by PR industry leaders. While there is no “i” in team, there are two in integrity.
Integrity is a very personal attribute and formed a key part of the family background I was born into. As such, I grew up with a strong sense of honesty and adherence to moral principles. Whatever I have done, right, wrong or indifferent, I have done on the basis of personal integrity. To do otherwise tears me up inside and whenever I have been tempted to act without it, I have soon avoided such temptation or been forced to backtrack, with relevant apologies, in order to calm my inner self.
I recall reading about an Ethics debate in PR Week in 2007 and being so disappointed with the outcome that I can still remember it eight years later (click here). However, until revisiting it online this week, I had forgotten that one of the key debaters against the motion “PR has a duty to tell the truth” was Max Clifford... The motion was defeated by 138 to 124.
In today’s digital environment, I think the truth matters more than ever. Something, that international PR advisor Stuart Bruce highlighted in his blog last week (click here)
I wonder what the result would be if PR week were to re-run their ethics debate today?
Yours believing he has a duty to tell the truth,
H