PRSA VALUES AND ETHICS

Jamie Reed, APR, Ethics Chair

Our national PRSA organization has long espoused a statement of professional values and a code of ethical conduct to guide its members in their professional work. Here is a quick refresher on those values for our PRSA Kansas chapter members:

• Advocacy – We serve the public interest by acting as responsible advocates for those we represent. We provide a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate.
• Honesty – We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.
• Expertise – We acquire and responsibly use specialized knowledge and experience. We advance the profession through continued professional development, research, and education. We build mutual understanding, credibility, and relationships among a wide array of institutions and audiences.
• Independence – We provide objective counsel to those we represent. We are accountable for our actions.
• Loyalty – We are faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.
• Fairness – We deal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors, the media, and the general public. We respect all opinions and support the right of free expression.

As ethical professionals, we believe that:

• 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.
• Promoting healthy and fair competition among professionals preserves an ethical climate while fostering a robust business environment.
• Open communication fosters informed decision making in a democratic society. (Disclosure of information.)
• Client trust requires appropriate protection of confidential and private information. (Safeguarding confidences.)
• Avoiding real, potential or perceived conflicts of interest builds the trust of clients, employers, and the publics.
• Public relations professionals work constantly to strengthen the public’s trust in the profession. (Enhancing the profession.)

For the full statement of professional values and codes of ethical conduct, visit: https://www.prsa.org/about/prsa-code-of-ethics. Throughout the year, we will be taking a deep dive into these values and exploring how they can make us better counselors and communicators!

New Year Message from the President

Akeam Ashford

Welcome to 2022

I’m excited to serve as your 2022 PRSA Kansas chapter president. I understand the past two years may have been rough on you personally, and even professionally, but I welcome you to lean into PRSA Kansas even more this year. We have a dynamic board filled with both young talent and seasoned communication professionals that are dedicated to making 2022 the best year yet for our chapter.

PRSA offers a number of professional resources to help you in your career. I can personally tell you I have made life-long friends in our chapter, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for those relationships. I invite you to attend our monthly events to explore current and future trends, discover best practices and network with fellow PR pros. Starting in February, these events will take place every fourth Wednesday of the month. You can stay up-to-date by signing up for our email newsletters, following PRSA Kansas on Facebook and LinkedIn and visiting PRSAKansas.org.

Our national organization also provides immense opportunities for development. I encourage you to log on to PRSA.org often, navigate to the MyPRSA tab to find upcoming webinars and helpful links to engaging content. These resources are free for PRSA members and a great way for you to learn more – advancing both yourself and the profession. If you’re interested in obtaining an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), reach out to our APR Chair Cynthia Wentworth, APR, at cynthiawentworth@gmail.com for more information. We are lucky to have multiple APR’s in our chapter and I encourage you to use them as a resource.

I want to give a big thank you to Kristy Bansemer, our immediate past president, for leading PRSA Kansas through a global pandemic. I want to build on what she’s done and bring new ideas to our organization, but I need YOUR help. Please join me for volunteer and service opportunities in our community throughout the year.

In closing, I want to say thank you for all you do for PRSA Kansas. Thank you to Meghan Carver, our president-elect, and the entire PRSA board for agreeing to serve alongside me this year. I hope this year brings you much success and happiness. I’m proud to be part of a profession that is a critical part of any organization. Thank you for selecting me to serve as your president in 2022.

Happy New Year!

Akeam Ashford
PRSA Kansas President
Akeamashford@gmail.com