Accredited vs. non-accredited: How accreditation impacts perceptions and readiness to provide ethics counsel

Scholars and industry trade public relations have suggested that public relations practitioners should provide ethics counsel and debated the degree to which practitioners accept the role of an ethical conscience. Through survey research with more than 400 educators and practitioners, this study provides evidence that the majority of practitioners and educators believe this is public relations' responsibility. In addition, the results reveal that accredited public relations practitioners are more likely to say they feel prepared to do so, and are more likely to offer ethics counsel than practitioners who are not accredited. The study also provides insights into some of the ethical issues that practitioners are most likely to face, what types of ethics training they have received, and their roles in promoting an ethical workplace.