Dealing with Journalistic Ethics

When issuing invitations to a press party or social event, special con­sideration should be given to the ethics codes subscribed to by many newspapers, such as the Associated Press Managing Editors Code. An important clause of the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists states: "Nothing of value shall be accepted." This is gener­ally interpreted to mean gifts having intrinsic value (but excluding premiums or mementos such as imprinted ballpoint pens).

Most journalists feel that attendance at a social function where an ordinary hotel-style dinner is served, preceded by a cocktail hour, will not compromise their integrity. However, it is increasingly common for larger papers to require that the charge levied on paying guests be ap­plicable to journalists, with the paper picking up the tab. It is wise for the public relations practitioner to be sensitive to this trend, even though it may mean that some journalists are paying and others are availing themselves of a free meal.

Ethical considerations also dictate that an invitation not be sent to the private home of the journalist, thereby confusing the issue of whether the reporter is being invited in a professional or a private capacity. Simi­larly, the invitation of the spouse to attend may raise ethical questions, unless the nature of the event—such as a dinner-dance—clearly dictates that attendance by couples is the norm.

If your organization has a large boardroom, auditorium, or general-purpose facility that is equipped with a public-address system and is available to you for at least half a day, you may be able to hold a press conference in your own facility—provided, that is, that you are located within a short drive of the media, and you have adequate parking available.

Aside from the convenience of using your own facilities, there may be another valid reason for bringing the press to your side. If the point of the event is to show off a new plant or piece of equipment, then some inconvenience on the part of the press may be warranted. You may even arrange for the press to congregate at a convenient central location to be bused to the site of your event, but that presupposes an attraction of genuine interest or novelty.

Not surprisingly, hotels, motels, and restaurants frequently are used for press conferences, simply because they are centrally located, offer a full range of catering services, and can provide basic amplifica­tion and audiovisual equipment. (How many times does the first item in the evening television news consist of a speaker behind a lectern bearing the name of a well-known hotel!)

Check the Facilities

Representatives of the PR department should make at least one on-site inspection, accompanied by a sales representative of the facility, to check for items such as:

• Adequate electrical outlets for audiovisual equipment.

• Sufficient water pitchers and drinking glasses.

• Phone booths outside the room. (If none or too few are avail­able, you can arrange with the phone company to bring in a temporary portable unit.)

• Comfortable seating and, if appropriate, tables for writing or for displaying handouts and brochures.

One sure way to ruin the effect is to rent half of a partitioned room. Rent the entire room. You'll not only assure peace and quiet for your meeting, you can arrange to open or shut partitions as necessary to make your meeting appear well attended but comfortably uncrowded.

And finally, if you determine on your scouting trip that the layout of the conference area is confusing, have your art department prepare plenty of signs pointing the way to the proper outside entrance, the conference room, the phones, and, of course, the restrooms. Keeping re­porters from getting irritated over logistics is part of what Greenfield means by "petting" the press.

 We already have noted that offering gifts or lavish entertainment to journalists may constitute a breach of journalistic as well as PR ethics. However, it is never inappropriate to provide coffee and soft drinks, long with donuts and cookies, in recognition of the fact that those at­tending a press conference may have hurried from another assignment without time to stop for refreshments.

Similarly, most news reporters carry their own paper and pencils, but it is useful to have a supply on hand at a press table for the benefit of those who have exhausted or misplaced their supplies.

Anticipate the special needs of journalists. Radio people often wish to record a speech or presentation, and even print journalists use portable tape recorders as a backup note-taking device. Prevent the scramble that occurs when they all try to place microphones around the lectern. Avoid discomfort to your speaker, and leave the view uncluttered for photogra­phers, by arranging to have a single microphone leading not only to the public address system, but also to a box below the platform or on a table to one side where each journalist can "jack in" to the sound source. That way, those who need to pop up and flip cassettes every thirty minutes won't distract the speaker or destroy the decorum.