ETHICS MONTH 2024 – NAVIGATING ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN COMMUNICATION #ETHICSMATTER #ETHICSMONTH

In today's fast-paced and connected world - we - communication professionals, have a unique position of influence. Whether we're journalists, marketers, public relations practitioners, or social media managers, our words and actions shape perceptions, drive conversations, and impact society at large.

With great power comes great responsibility, and navigating the ethical complexities of our profession is more critical than ever. From the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice movements and digital transformation, to the topical events like ongoing elections in multiple countries this year, all emphasize the ever-increasing urgent demand for ethical communication practices.

According to the recent study among Chief Communication Officers (CCOs) made by Page, the top business risks in 2024 are:  geopolitics and elections - international conflicts and many contentious elections, polarization- divisiveness eroding society, mis/disinformation - threats to democracy, dawn of AI – which is also seen as an opportunity. What are the means for communicators to embrace ethical principles and foster trust and integrity in this context?

       Truthfulness and Transparency in the Age of Mis/Disinformation: The increase of misinformation and fake news has eroded public trust in media and institutions. Political polarization and the spread of disinformation pose significant challenges to democratic discussion. Communication professionals have a responsibility to promote media literacy - empower citizens to critically evaluate information, distinguish credible sources, and actively participate in democratic processes. This - in addition to persistent commitment to accuracy, fairness, and impartiality in our own reporting and messaging.

        Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Social justice movements have highlighted systemic inequalities and biases that infuse our society. As communication professionals, we have a responsibility to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work. This means actively seeking out diverse perspectives, challenging stereotypes, and promoting authentic representation in our storytelling and campaigns.

        Digital Ethics and Privacy: The digital age has brought extraordinary opportunities for communication, but it also raises ethical concerns around privacy, data security, and online manipulation. Communication professionals need to navigate these challenges with integrity, respecting users' privacy rights, and ensuring transparent and ethical use of data. Political campaigns increasingly rely on data-driven targeting and micro-targeted messaging to reach voters – hence ethical considerations around data privacy, consent, and algorithmic transparency are vital.

        Promoting Ethical Decision-Making: Ethical decision-making is at the heart of our communication profession, requiring careful consideration of the potential consequences of our actions and adherence to ethical principles and guidelines. Communication professionals need to cultivate a culture of ethical awareness and accountability within their organizations, providing training and resources to support ethical decision-making at all levels.

The Global Alliance Ethics Month in February 2024 brings attention to the importance of ethics in communication - it connects us, communication professionals globally, to discuss the dilemmas we face - and strategies for maintaining integrity, fostering trust, and driving positive change. Welcome to join the webinars and conversations!

February 15 at 12-13 GMT – a free webinar on:
Ethics in Action: Thriving through Conflicts and Crises

February 22 at 10-11 GMT – a free webinar on:
Organizational Trust in the Privacy Economy

February 29 at 14-15 GMT – a free webinar on:
Communication dilemmas in the era of AI

Kind regards,

Kia Haring
Director, Ethics & Standards
Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management

Find below the Complete programme and registration for the Ethics Month Webinars:

Webinar: Ethics in Action: Thriving through Conflicts and Crises

Date & Time: Thursday 15 February 2024 at 12-13 HRS GMT

In our interconnected economic world, the escalating complexity of crises, driven by climate change and other stressors, has given rise to a state of perpetual crisis known as polycrisis. While this poses challenges for communication and corporate strategy professionals, there are valuable lessons to be learned from organizations that excel in thriving amid such conditions. This webinar explores the intricate dynamics of organizations involved in conflict mitigation and peacekeeping. Panelists discuss public expectations from companies, the role of peacekeeping organizations, and the ethical responsibilities of corporations in complex geopolitical contexts. Topics include the impact of corporate engagement in the Russia-Ukraine war on reputation and trust, collaborative efforts between corporations and peacekeeping entities, and the delicate balance between corporate interests and social responsibility during conflicts.

Main takeaways:

The speakers will offer insights on the following topics:

• Ethical obligations in conflict zones: Companies' moral responsibilities in fragile settings.

• Authenticity in corporate actions: Balancing social responsibility with corporate interests.

• Navigating complex political landscapes: Addressing potential backlash in decision-making.

• Corporate engagement impact: Effects on reputation and stakeholder behaviors in conflict mitigation.

• Nonprofit collaborations and brand value: Successful partnerships contributing to commercial gains and tangible corporate values.

• Occupational well-being through humanitarian partnerships: Enabling employees to participate in meaningful pro bono or charity work.

• Flexible partnership terms: Importance in preventing resource waste due to divergent expectations between nonprofits and corporations.

• Integrity risks: Corporate actions compromising nonprofit partners' shared values and objectives.

• Risks and opportunities in peace mediation partnerships: Assessing the dynamics of collaboration in conflict resolution.

Presenters:

Webinar: Organizational Trust in the Privacy Economy

Date & Time: Thursday, 22February 2024 at 10-11 HRS GMT

Lately much has been discussed on the business value of trust in the app-based, data-driven circular economy. Trust and privacy move hand-in-hand. When individuals trust they are more likely to engage in, interact with, and disclose detailed information about themselves. Yet, of course, this disclosure and in turn, the trust attached, are highly contextually and interpersonally dependent. Recent research has revealed that privacy is a privilege that is afforded by a number of factors tightly linked to social-economic circumstances. Our relationship to not just organizations, but the level of involuntary exposure to data collection – in the environment and through the products and services that we consume are dependent on the privacy levels we can financially afford. Interestingly, from the perspective of data-driven environmental technology such as smart environments (domestic and work-related) these technologies are currently being developed to support wellbeing. This webinar features a dialogue and interview-like analysis (Rousi the interviewer and Vakkuri the interviewee) of two studies we undertook: 1) on smart work places to support worker wellbeing; and 2) anonymised AI-driven video surveillance for elderly care. Through the frames of organizational trust and Vakkuri’s ethical AI development tool, ECCOLA, the discussion will focus on dissecting the scenarios in relation to ethical AI, challenging the role of trust in the privacy economy, and whether or not indeed, the interventional cases presented can ever be fully ethical.

Main takeaways:

• Our research shows that communication is the key to making AI and data-driven systems more ethical

• Communication increases trust – supporting transparency and building relationships

• Technology cannot be unethical – it is the humans, their intentions, and use that can make innovation ‘ethically unclean’ – being pro-active in identifying and communicating about potential ethical concerns can steer developments towards societally optimal directions

Presenters:

Webinar: Communication dilemmas in the era of AI

Date & Time: Thursday 29 February 2024 at 14-15 HRS GMT

 A year ago AI was something only a few communicators were familiar with. But with the launch of ChatGBT AI has become a key topic for professional communicators. AI can definitely be of great help for news media and communication teams, but it also raises a number of ethical questions. In this webinar we wish to discuss the dilemmas that we foresee news media and professional communicators will be confronted with in the years to come.

Following topics will be covered during the session:

• Can we trust AI and will AI help us in building trust?

• Will AI help us in strengthening transparency or will it reduce transparency?

• Who owns content and how do you protect news media and professional communicators rights and protect companies’ reputation, when you use AI?

• Will AI increase or reduce bias in communication?

• What can you do as a communicator to learn to use AI and at the same time balance the ethical dilemmas?

Presenters: