Ethics

The New York Times exposé published in December about Justin Baldoni’s alleged smear campaign against Blake Lively highlighted the dark side of PR. Then a week later, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times, saying the media outlet got the story wrong. Ultimately, the legal questions in Baldoni’s suit concern media ethics. But in the meantime, the actors’ PR teams should keep these crisis communications tips top of mind.

PR “spin”—in its proper and ethical context—is simply helping people tell their story better to reach target audiences more effectively. Here are the three steps to show anyone (and clients in particular) that spin is just fine—as long as it’s ethical.

Establishing ethical values early in your career as a PR pro and re-visiting them periodically provides a framework for how you act during your years as a communicator.

It’s hard to believe but there are few ethics governing imagery in communication. Some companies are taking advantage of this in the DEI space.