This week on Ethical Voices, Tammy Gordon , the (past) public information department manager for the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. [Editors note: I sat on this interview for way too long and she is now Director of Public Affairs at the Citrus Heights Water District], discusses a number of important ethical issues, including: · How to navigate ethical conflict when your job challenges your personal values · How to intervene when colleagues prioritize quick fixes over resp...
Jul 07, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 184
This week on Ethical Voices, Carolyn Smith Casertano, MA, APR, Fellow PRSA, professor of practice in the Department of Communication at the University of Arizona, discusses a number of important ethics issues including; 1) How to effectively address management decisions that conflict with your values 2) What to do when a client tries to hire your staff
May 27, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 183
Fabiana Meléndez Ruiz, a strategic storyteller serving as the founder and CEO of Refuerzo Collaborative, discusses a number of important ethics issues including: 1) How to counsel effectively when your client has a culturally insensitive idea 2) How can you help organizations go beyond their biases 3) Unexpected ways PR pros fail ethically with the media 4) The most overlooked part of a PR person’s job
Mar 10, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 182
Bill Swanger, APR, Fellow PRSA, the founder of William Swanger Communications, shares a number of important ethical issues, including: 1) Why it is important to ethically address financial mistakes and clarify misunderstandings 2) Ethically navigating paid and unpaid content
Jan 06, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 181
Tatevik Simonyan, the co-founder and director of communications and international relations at SPRING PR company in Armenia, discusses: 1) How to best counsel your client when they want to respond unethically to an unethical competitor 2) How to react calmly and ethically in highly emotional crises 3) Should PR create a global code of ethics for influencer marketing 4) What companies should know about PR in Armenia
Oct 28, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 180
Erin Kennedy, the ethics committee chair for the PRSA Central California Chapter, discusses: 1) What to do when your boss wants to disclose information before you should 2) How to better understand how those spreading misinformation think
Sep 09, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 179
Captain Barbara Bell, U.S. Navy (ret). Captain Bell was one of Annapolis's first female graduates and has a distinguished career as an aviator and naval flight test officer. Today, she teaches at the US Naval Academy and may discuss ethics even more than I do. In this interview she discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) The importance of the really small things 2) The ethics framework being taught to future Navy officers – and how everyone can apply it 3) How to understand ...
May 28, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 178
This week on Ethical Voices, Missy Hurley , the co-founder and CEO of B2 Communications , discusses a number of important ethics issues: · What to do when advocacy groups change your words to spread misinformation · How to deal with biased reporters · When ethically to disclose you used AI
Apr 22, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Joseph Abreu, the Chief Communications Officer for the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Lee County, Florida, and 2024 National Chair of PRSA., discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) The ethical importance of avoiding even the appearance of impropriety. 2) How to get ahead of AI ethics challenges
Apr 02, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 176
Ann Marie Varga, the internal communication manager for AdventHealth discusses a number of important ethics issues including: 1) One key PR ethics lesson from the Pulse nightclub shooting 2) How to protect your (and your team’s) mental health in crisis situations 3) Ethical issues in internal communications
Feb 26, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 175
Christie Goodman, the director of communication for the Intercultural Development Research Association, discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) How to avoid using people as props and authentically engage 2) Ethics challenges with assumptions 3) How to effectively engage and learn from diverse audiences 4) How to effectively advance social justice issues
Feb 12, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 174
Joining me on this week's episode is Roy Reid, a senior fellow with the Stockworth Institute, and he is recognized as one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business. He discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) What to do when your client asks you to besmirch the competition 2) How to effectively and ethically build trust 3) What to do when employees, clients and partners break your trust
Jan 22, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 173
In November 2023, PRSA issued new ethics guidelines titled “The Promise and Pitfalls, the Ethical Use of AI for Public Relations Practitioners”. Michelle Egan, the 2023 National Chair of PRSA and Mark Dvorak, the 2023 Chair of PRSA's Board of Ethics and Professional Standards discuss the AI guidelines and more.
Jan 08, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 172
Ed Harrison, the managing director of Inkhouse in Boston discusses several ethics issues including: 1) Ethical failures with data 2) Why we need to tell the hard truths 3) The important difference between being nice and being kind 4) An interactive discussion on AI tools and training
Dec 18, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 171
This week on Ethical Voices, Marcia DiStaso , Associate Dean for Research in the College of Journalism and Communications and Professor of Public Relations at the University of Florida . discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: How do we ethically ask questions in research? What to absolutely never, ever do when conducting research for a PR campaign Ethical challenges with AI in PR...
Nov 20, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 170
Dave Honchul, APR Fellow, PRSA is a public affairs specialist at the US Department of the Treasury and a docent at the National Museum of the US Air Force. He discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) What to do when you think you received an unlawful order 2) One key thing many PR pros are forgetting to do 3) How far do you need to dig before deciding something is true
Oct 30, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 169
Kelsey Bohl, the Senior Manager of Corporate Communications Press Office at Walmart, discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) Why corporations need to be careful they aren’t the oones spreading misinformation 2) Ethics of data analysis 3) Why PR pros need to change their definition of media
Oct 16, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 168
Cheryll Forsatz, the Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations for Ferrero USA discusses: 1) The ethical implications of blurred lines 2) Influencer ethics and disclosure 3) Ethics and AI
Sep 14, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 167
This week, Ant Cousins , the Executive Director of AI Strategy at Cision , discusses a number of important issues, including: Cision’s AI ethics policy The ethics implications of the use of AI in public relations How much human agency do we require in public relations? The most concerning AI ethics issues Where should PR pros start when they want to learn more about AI?...
Aug 21, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 166
Joining me on this week's episode is Jennifer Gonzalez , the senior vice president of multicultural strategy at C+C . Jen and I are colleagues, and we had a great ethics discussion recently, so I invited her to be a guest. Jennifer discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: What to do when you know your prospect's multicultural program does not align with the community’s needs Ethical issues in partnering with community-based organizations Why sometimes being equitable requires yo...
Jul 31, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 165
This week on Ethical Voices, KayAnn Schoeneman , President of Curley Company discusses: How to determine if a client is right for you Ethical issues in opposition research AI ethics challenges
Jul 24, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 164
Bradley Akubuiro, a partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive, discusses a number of important ethics issues including: 1) How to deal with an ethical quandary: Career advancement or decency? 2) How to effectively serve as the conscience of an organization 3) How to deal with issues in a hyper-politicized environment
Jun 27, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 163
This week on EthicalVoices, Zainab Chaudary, Senior Vice President at New Heights Communications discusses several key ethics issues, including: 1) Lost opportunities: lessons learned from the Muslim Ban Supreme Court case 2) Navigating the tension: ethically balancing client desires and media success 3) Why you need to go beyond mission, vision and values 4) How to break down the silos in advocacy
Jun 12, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 162
Erica Salmon Byrne, CEO of Ethisphere discusses: 1) How does a company become one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies? 2) What are the top ethics issues facing companies? 3) How can businesses create a more ethical environment? 4) What questions should businesses ask about ethics and AI? 5) Proof that being ethical is good business
May 08, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 161
Roger Bolton, the president of Page, discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) What to do when a reporter is writing a story that you know will quickly become inaccurate 2) Why we need to confront the uncomfortable truths 3) The ethical use of technology and AI 4) Understanding the Page Principles
Apr 17, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 160
Pete Scott, the president and CEO of American Pet Products Association. He discusses a number of important issues, including: 1) How can we best balance safeguarding confidences and disclosure of information? 2) How fast should we move on AI?
Apr 03, 2023•15 min
Niel Golightly, a partner at FGS Global, discusses several important ethics issues, including: 1) An important lesson he learned flying an F-14 over the Indian Ocean 2) What is the hardest ethical decision? 3) The power of humility 4) How do we redefine a corporation’s role in society? 5) What societal issues does every company have an ethical duty to support?
Mar 06, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 158
Joining me on this week's EthicalVoices episode is Candace Hamana , the owner of Badger PR and the founder of The Indigenous Peoples Public Relations Association . She discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: What to do when your employer doesn’t let you act in true faith How to make land acknowledgments more than a performative action The importance of cultural contexts...
Feb 20, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 157
Scott Brooks, a public relations specialist for the TVA, shares several ethics insights, including: 1) Your client is accused of price gouging, now what? 2) How to keep truth at the forefront 3) How to ethically deal with advocacy
Jan 30, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 156
Linda Welter, the CEO of Caliber Group, a brand marketing, public relations, and digital firm discusses a number of important ethics topics, including: 1) Where do you draw the competitive line? 2) What is our first responsibility in ethical situations? 3) Ethics issues with influencers
Jan 23, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 155
