This guide from JGPR is inspired by on Jeffrey Seglin’s “How to Make Tough Ethical Calls” (Harvard Business Publishing, 2005)
For public information officers, ethics is an ever-present notion. Good PIOs and other government communicators and PR professionals (like the staff at JGPR) generally push our police, fire, public school and government clients for more openness, maximum transparency, and a willingness to own their message — for example, by facilitating clients going on camera for TV news crews.
Government news moves exceedingly fast. To quote my friend and former professor (during his time at Emerson College) Jeffrey L. Seglin: “the difference between right and wrong sometimes doesn’t exist. It’s often a matter of making the best ‘right’ choice from several options.”
In applying these ethics lessons to public information officers, we arrive at a useful thought exercise that can help us make critical decisions during crises/disasters and how to manage the fast flow of information and inquiries from the press and public. Often, decisions are easy and natural. PIOs often apply principles from one of the founders of the business of public relations, Ivy Lee, who said, “Tell the truth, because sooner or later the public will find out anyway. And if the public doesn’t like what you are doing, change your policies and bring them into line with what people want.” It is the second half of that quote that should motivate PIOs — change your policies if they are not in line with public expectations.
🔍 When to Use This as a helper:
- Crisis events with incomplete or quickly evolving facts
- Sensitive client incidents (e.g., arrests, employee administrative leave, lawsuits)
- Producing standby statements or talking points
- Gray areas between legal compliance (What are the lawyers telling us to do?) and public good (What does our ethical and professional compass believe is best?)
- When you are seeking to apply ethics into your training classes or write an ethics policy for your office
⚖️ Seglin’s 6 Ethical Questions Applied: (How would you apply these in your own agency?)
| Question | PIO Crisis Scenario Application |
|---|---|
| 1. Why is this bothering me? | Acknowledge the internal tension — Are we withholding too much? Are we protecting or deflecting? |
| 2. Who else matters? | Go beyond clients: Consider victims, residents, first responders, journalists, and interagency partners. |
| 3. Is it my responsibility? | As a PIO or advisor, it’s our duty to present facts clearly and prevent misinformation. |
| 4. What is the ethical concern? | Is the public’s right to know being delayed unreasonably? Is transparency being sacrificed? How will this affect the legitimacy and reputation of our client? Of us? |
| 5. What do others think? | Seek a second opinion — from colleagues, other PIOs, senior advisors, and certainly legal counsel. |
| 6. Am I being true to myself? | Would I be proud to defend this decision in the press, on record, or to my family? |
🛑 Common Ethics Pitfalls to Avoid
- Prioritizing “buzz, publicity, or headlines” or “avoiding bad press” over public safety, transparency and legitimacy.
- Withholding facts because they are inconvenient
- Speaking out of your lane or speaking on behalf of another agency.
- Using legal ambiguity as a shield to delay acknowledgment. There are obvious times when the legal answer trumps the PR answer, and we aren’t allowed to release information. Don’t go looking for it or try to hide behind legal loopholes if they don’t apply, however.
✅ Red Flags That Require Immediate Ethical Review
- Agency refuses to comment despite clear public impact or matters of public record.
- Too many points of contact and approval that endanger the public by delaying the release of critical public information.
- PIO is asked to report to a middle manager. PIO should only report to the top or incident commander.
- Decision is driven purely by optics, political donor pressure, or other interests.
🌍 Consider the “Three Spheres” Before Finalizing a Statement:
- “Money”: Seglin says “money” in the financial sense, but for government, let’s change “Money” to “Gain” in terms of reputation, brand equity, legitimacy, etc., to better make sense in government work — Who stands to gain or lose from disclosure?
- People: How are employees, residents, or vulnerable groups affected?
- Community: How will this impact long-term public trust or institutional integrity?
🛡️ Ethical Outcome Standard:
Even if full disclosure isn’t immediate, the end goal must be: (rewrite this for your own agency or department!)
“Clear, honest, and timely communication that serves the public and upholds the credibility of JGPR and our clients must always be at the forefront of our labors and work product.”
Part of that also feeds JGPR’s mission statement, which includes: “We strive to build and maintain a reputation for quality work through clean, clear, concise content and sound strategic advice.”
Takeaway: How can you use this and other models to incorporate and formalize ethical decision-making into your role as PIO or with your agency?
In line with JGPR’s Statement of Principles Governing the Ethical Use of Large Language Models, we make note that LLM software was used to help produce this post, particularly on the design and bullet point graphics, and in generating ideas for the “Seglin’s Ethical Questions Applied” section.