How PR students see ethics as the foundation for future work

Ethics is the underlying principle upon which all great PR lessons are based.

Taught through case studies, practice scenarios and a variety of other methods, ethics is something that we who are involved in PRSSA’s Nationally Affiliated Student-run Firms live and breathe every day as we continuously work on client projects.

“One of my first action items as a new member of The University of Alabama’s Capstone Agency was signing the PRSA Code of Ethics,” says agency director Kathleen McManus.

As an experiential learning opportunity, Capstone prides itself on giving members real-world experience with clients prior to the launch of their professional career.

“Part of experiential learning in an agency setting is understanding the importance of ethics in the public relations industry,” McManus says. “We require all members to review and sign the Code at the beginning of each semester. This written form of accountability allows members to keep ethics in mind with every decision they make.”

For Richard Forbes, who leads the University of Florida’s Alpha Productions, ethics became apparent when working on his first campaign.