Ethical Behaviors

Key Words: Ethics, Behavior, Communication, Organization, Transparency

Identifying and looking into ethical behaviors is critical especially when organization need to reflect on if they are pursuing ethics in their organization. Looking into cases that discus various aspects is vital to see a variety of ways organizations can or can not be ethical. 

Transparent from the Start

Penn State Fumbles “Child Abuser Operates Undetected in Happy Valley" is an article that shares the story of, former assistant Penn State football coach, Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse scandal over the span of decades (Child Abuser Operates Undetected in Happy Valley, n.d.). The university failed to communicate the scandal professionally, leading to reputation damage for years to come. The University attempted to hide the facts and ultimately ethical fading got ahead of main figures at the time despite the safety of young children (Penn State Scandal, n.d.). 

Wixsite, 2025

Values Reflect Actions

The NFL has been under fire for years for the amount of head injuries we see in football players (A Yellow Flag on the NFL, n.d.). This causes people to question the ethical standards behind the NFL and it risks the NFL’s support of viewers because of the safety of players. The NFL has been consistent in its efforts to prioritize player safety creating a lack of transparency. Now the NFL should demonstrate their efforts by showing medical advancements, addressing safety concerns, and being open about the risks of football. 

Watch this Video on NFL Head Injuries 

Rebuilding Reputation

The Catholic Church has struggled with its reputation due to leaders in the church molesting children. This makes the church lose moral authority and systematic failures due to the lack of addressing the abuse that has happened. The church should begin to create protocols for clergy and maintain clear transparency and accountability to rebuild trust with the public and members. Mishandling church scandals could lead to the detriment of people's faith so addressing them quickly is critical for a church. 

Wixsite, 2025

Managing the Focus

The article "The September 11th Memorial" by Hannah Karolak and Susan Manciono focuses on the difficulties of people wanting different things despite the good cause. Being active on how a PR team should handle historical tragedies is important and focusing on that is valuable when some desire to keep ethics at the center. 

All in all, holding high ethical standards as a PR practitioner is critical. Remaining transparent and communicating well all reflect back to the ethical standards of an organization. 

Citations

YouTube. (2024b, September 23). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0dXfSBwy0k 

https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/video/penn-state-scandal. (n.d.-a). 

"Trouble in the Pews: The Catholic Church and Child Molestation" (n.d.-a).

A Yellow Flag on the NFL,( n.d.)

Child Abuser Operates Undetected in Happy Valley, (n.d.)

"The September 11th Memorial" (n.d.)