Ethical considerations for public relations practitioners in the digital age

Purpose Public relations practitioners serve as ethical advisors, guiding organizations through digital challenges such as disinformation and transparency issues. Despite the profession's history of credibility issues, digital transformation has introduced new moral dilemmas that demand critical evaluation. This study examines how public relations professionals in the US navigate ethical challenges in digital communication. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts in-depth interviews with public relations practitioners to examine public relations practitioners' experiences with ethical dilemmas and how they interpret ethical challenges in the digital age. Findings The findings suggest that the accelerating digital shift requires a reassessment of public relations ethics and the development of updated guidelines. Participants identified three primary ethical concerns in digital communication: transparency, disinformation and privacy. Originality/value This study addresses this gap by interviewing US public relations practitioners to identify common ethical challenges in digital communication and examine how they navigate these issues. This study addresses a critical and timely gap in the literature where traditional ethical frameworks have failed to keep up with the rapid digital revolution. By interviewing US public relations practitioners, this research identifies the common ethical challenges unique to digital communication and examines how public relations professionals navigate these challenges.