Study: Millennials unprepared to serve as ‘ethical conscience’ in PR

PR isn’t just about making a client look good. It’s about doing the right thing. But younger PR pros feel unprepared to offer counsel.

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Ethics is a bedrock of contemporary public relations, whether it’s avoiding conflicts of interest or resisting the temptation to give a pair of your client’s racing skis to a sports magazine columnist.

So a warning light is flashing in the form of a recent study showing that most millennial PR pros are shying away from roles as a conscience within their organization.

The study, “Silent & unprepared: Most millennial practitioners have not embraced role as ethical conscience,” found significant differences in preparedness to offer ethical counseling between generations. Only a third agreed or strongly agreed that they feel prepared to offer ethics counsel, the article states.

The good news is that the availability of a mentor makes a difference, as does ethics training in college, at work or through a professional association.

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