August 22, 2008
Ms. Jill Hazelbaker
Communications Director
John McCain 2008
P.O. Box 16118
Arlington, VA 22215
Dear Ms Hazelbaker:
As chair and chief executive officer of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the world’s largest professional organization for public relations professionals, I applaud Senator McCain’s commitment to campaign finance reform and the integrity of the election process in the United States. PRSA shares that commitment and has launched a broad initiative to speak out publicly in the interest of a clean and fair election, an effort that could serve as an additional tool to strengthen a campaign’s election reform credentials.
PRSA is responsible for representing, educating, setting standards of excellence and upholding principles of ethics for our members and, more broadly, the $4 billion U.S. public relations profession. In that role, PRSA is committed to advancing ethical communications practices and the free flow of accurate and truthful information. These principles not only guide our members and the profession, but also support fundamental rights of free speech and the public good.
During this election season, we feel a duty to intensify our organization’s advocacy for a clean and fair campaign modeled on the principles of the PRSA Code of Ethics, which could help strengthen trust in the United States and its electoral process. As a result, we are launching a broad initiative to speak out publicly on this issue on a national level and locally through our 109 Chapters across the country. We need your help.
The use of innuendo, incomplete information, surrogate messaging and character attacks, whether in political discourse or other forms of commercial free speech, raises serious concerns for our organization and its 32,000 members, each of whom signs a pledge to the PRSA Code of Ethics. In fact, ethical practice is the most important obligation of PRSA membership, and we maintain that our obligations extend not only to those we represent, but also to the publics they serve. We view the code as a model for other professions, organizations and professionals, including political campaigns. Attached is a copy of the code for your use.
In defining ethical communications, the PRSA Code of Ethics sets out certain core principles that are particularly relevant in an election cycle, among them: “Protecting and advancing the free flow of accurate and truthful information is essential to serving the public interest and contributing to informed decision making in a democratic society,” and “Open communication fosters informed decision making in a democratic society.”
Attached is a pledge to commit to the principles of the PRSA Code of Ethics. As PRSA rolls out its own campaign to speak publicly and vigorously on this issue, I personally encourage the John McCain 2008 campaign to commit to this pledge.
Working together, we could ratchet up interest, already evident in the communications community, in civil campaign discourse and a clean and fair campaign. Initiatives reflecting that interest include planned ethics sessions at the October PRSA 2008 International Conference in Detroit and PRSA’s “Clean & Fair Campaign 2008” Facebook group. We also would welcome your partnership in publicizing the bold step you are taking to break the cycle of “politics as usual.”
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to your reply and the opportunity to work with you in advancing this effort.
Very truly yours,
Jeff Julin
Chair and Chief Executive Officer
