Prompt: Your corporation discovers that a malfunction at one of its factories resulted in the accidental discharge of untreated wastewater into a local river. Area residents and environmental groups begin posting photos on social media of dead fish and discolored water. Your boss doesn’t want to “blow this out of proportion” and asks that you do not respond to media inquiries about the incident. How do you respond to the boss’s request to minimize public attention to the incident? Do you ignore emails and phone calls from the media? Apply at least two elements of the PRSA code of ethics in your answer and explain.

The Public Relations Society of America Code of Ethics says that as public relations practitioners we have a responsibility to be accurate and truthful with both the public and those we represent. However, these two entities often have differing needs, meaning that our responsibilities can clash. In the situation where there is a malfunction at one of L’Oréal’s factories, which causes untreated wastewater to be discharged into a local river, it is important to handle the situation with care and intention. Ignoring the media and backlash on social media in hopes that the situation dies down is arguably riskier and could seriously backfire, potentially causing even more retaliation from the public.

According to PRSA, it is “our obligation to serve the public interest” and “aid informed public debate,” meaning it is my responsibility to respond to the media even though my boss ordered otherwise. Although I may be risking my job by taking this approach, I believe it is more harmful to not respond. With careful handling of the situation, both L’Oréal and I can leave this situation with minimal damage. My first course of action would be to request a meeting with my boss where we analyze the situation together and develop a plan of action. Before this meeting, I would develop pre-written responses on behalf of L’Oréal to share with the media and then also preselect certain media inquiries to respond to. During the meeting, I would first acknowledge my boss’s desire to not “blow this out of proportion,” but then explain the disadvantages of staying quiet, focusing on the fact that our silence will be interpreted as a response and could quickly escalate. Once we come to an agreement on the types of responses we are putting out, I would emphasize the importance of carefully and selectively responding to the media. It is important to make sure that our response not only aligns with the PRSA Code of Ethics but also with L’Oréal’s mission and goals. This approach allows me to be transparent with both my boss and the public while abiding by the PRSA Code of Ethics.

In the situation where I accidentally disclose confidential information to an AI tool, it is critical that I make my boss aware of the situation and own up to my mistake. PRSA’s AI policy states that we must “never enter confidential materials into public AI tools” and emphasizes the importance of leading with transparency. By entering confidential data into a public AI tool and then attempting to cover it up, I would be breaking two of the main points from the Code of Ethics. By immediately notifying my supervisor, we can react to the situation appropriately and notify the necessary people to best address the situation. Across both scenarios, PRSA’s policy is clear in that transparency and accountability are incredibly important and should guide our behaviors as public relations practitioners. (Word Count: 482)

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