Technology Challenges Ethics & Integrity of Communication Professionals

The integration of technology has had a profound impact on professionals who work in the communications field, especially as it relates to ethics and communication of the facts in general. As someone who has worked in the PR and marketing field for 25+, I’ve experienced the transition to technology throughout my career. 

As an undergraduate student back in the late 80’s, there was no discussion of technology in our journalism and PR coursework. The internet was not widely available, our work was created on typewriters, and we learned to use the old-fashion reporting and content creation techniques using the phone and in-person interaction. Reporting and gathering the facts and information, in general, was guided by the truth and the ethical gathering of the truth. 

Gathering information for news stories was usually methodical and reputable reporters were careful to report the facts. A good example is the Watergate story. Woodward and Bernstein worked diligently to ensure to report the truth, which was the hallmark of investigative reporting. Back then, the PRSA Code of Ethics and the Society of Professional Journalism were our north star. This is not to say that ethical dilemma did not arise as we know from case law and studying the history of communications in general. 

Yellow journalism, the use of PR to seed untruths and unethical fact-gathering has been threaded throughout history. Fast forward to the late 1990s and the internet. The communications profession was now driven by “the speed of thumbs.” Throw in cameras on phones, data, AI, social media, and the ability to distribute content immediately—the communications profession completely changed with the inception of technology. 

This includes professions ranging from PR pros, journalists, and marketing pros. Let’s dig a little deeper into how technology—especially those listed in the previous paragraph—has impacted the communication professional ethically. These are all dilemmas that I see every day working with my clients and the media. 

In a March 2022 study, research found nearly 60% of surveyed professionals reported that they faced ethical challenges in their day-to-day work, and there is a wide range of ethical challenges in digital practices. Conversely, only 85% of surveyed professionals reported that they have participated in communication ethics training. However, only 30% of participants indicated that their ethics training took place in the past year.

What are some of these challenges? 

 • Reporting the truth – Because things are moving so quickly, often content is shared on the internet that the author is unsure about in terms of being factual or telling the complete story. A good example of this is the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash. While TMZ reported the story first, many of the facts were inaccurate. This also posed an ethical challenge in terms of informing family members of a death prior to publication which has been a common practice in journalism. This all changed with new media. 

 • Privacy – Along the same lines, is the right to privacy. Digital media has created a coemption to get the biggest story, which has led to privacy violations. An example would be the car crash of Princess Diana. The paparazzi was so desperate for new stories about Diana, that they violated her privacy repeatedly. This is happening more and more with “regular citizens” (WACC, February 2019). • Taking Sides – The last presidential election has caused all communication professionals (not just journalists) to pick a side or even more challenging…remain neutral. The election divided the U.S. and people are labeling content “right or left” even when content creators are trying to stay neutral. It’s a huge challenge in corporate communications and affects how people perceive brands (WACC, February 2019). 

• Data—Using data to monitor and identify target audiences can be used in both a positive and negative way. On the negative side, it’s easy to create content that drives mistruths and, in some cases—lies. For example, reports are that Russia used data to help Trump win the election by identifying individuals through data and feeding them content that was false to turn them against his competitors. Basically, technology was used as a weapon. Data should be used to get the right message to the right audience, not as a weapon. Meta and the targeting of teens is another example. 

 • Copyright Issues—This is another big one that I see all the time. A lot of communication professionals seem not to understand copyright laws, so they “cut and paste” content that they did not create. It’s hard to monitors and hard to stop (Thuronyi, May 2017). Unfortunately, I could go on for many more pages identify unethical issues communication professionals. But these are the “bigger buckets” that challenges us today because the use of technology creates a situation where the flow of information is the “Wild, Wild West.”  

Sources:

Ethical challenges in an Evolving Digital Communication Era: Coping Resources and ethical training in Corporate Communications. Grady College. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from https://grady.uga.edu/research/ethical-challenges-in-an-evolving-digital-communication-era-coping-resources-and-ethical-trainings-in-corporate-communications-2/ 

Thuronyi, G. (2017, May 22). Copyright law and new technologies: A long and complex relationship. Copyright Law and New Technologies: A Long and Complex Relationship | Copyright: Creativity at Work. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from https://blogs.loc.gov/copyright/2017/05/copyright-law-and-new-technologies-a-long-and-complex-relationship/ wacc_kn. (2019, February 28). 

28 Feb 2019 New Digital Technology and Global Communication Ethics. WACC. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from https://waccglobal.org/new-digital-technology-and-global-communication-ethics/