The Ethical Optimist

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m following an interesting series found on the politickernj.com website, written by their media critic, Debbie Holtz. The series focuses on ethical issues surrounding journalists who make a career switch into PR – especially where it involves taking a job at the entity they used to cover.

Among the issues raised in today’s column is, “will the promise of confidentiality still be honored by the reporter in his or her new position?” For example, if a reporter is knowledgeable about positions in the Republican camp after covering politics, how much of that information does he share when he goes to work for the Democrats?

The consensus was best expressed by Tom Rosensteil, director for the Project for Excellence in Journalism when he said, “The general knowledge or insights that are in my head, I could take with me, but not specifics I may have learned.”

It occurred to me as I read today’s column that similar issues are commonly found within the PR profession. It is very common for agencies to hijack personnel from one another, especially based on a particular industry expertise. For example, an account person for Verizon at agency XYZ could be a prime target for recruitment by agency ABC that handles AT&T.

Most non-competes ensure that employees don’t leave and go to the client side, very few, however, prohibit an individual from migrating his or her industry expertise.

That said, do our employment agreements need to be reviewed? Or, must we rely on the personal integrity and ethics of those involved to carry the day? Is it unethical to share an insider’s perspective when moving from one job to another?

By the way, I don’t feel this issue applies solely to journalists. In today’s highly competitive workplace, it’s a common dilemma.

I thing Dr. Carl Hausman, chair of the department of Journalism at Rowan University made an excellent point when he noted that, “Even if I as the new hiring employer received some confidential information from a reporter, I would never trust that person again. I may be happy in the short term, but in the long run, I don’t think I would keep promoting that person within the organization in the future.”

His comments go back to some of my previous blog posts in which I stress protecting your personal brand, or as I call it, The Brand of Me. No ethics mandate or non-compete will ever truly guide people. Personal integrity and reputation, however, are qualities you carry from job to job. Both are a personal choice, but both will impact your marketability over the years.