Oh, So Now Bullying is Ok?

This week in class we've been talking a lot about ethics. What crosses the line and what doesn't? Who decides what the line is? Well, we've been asked to look at a story in the news and relate it back to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) code of ethics as well as our own.

I found a story on the USA Today Sports paged that was titled, "Chicago asks fans to bully Derrick Rose into playing." I knew immediately this was my story.

Quick background about Derrick Rose, he plays for the Chicago Bulls but after a torn ACL a little over a year ago, he's made himself comfortable on the bench. The Bulls are currently in the playoffs and CBS Chicago, a radio station, has launched a campaign encouraging fans to write letters to Derrick Rose to get him to get his butt off the bench and help his team in the playoffs.

(Rose was cleared to play over two months ago so there must be a reason he hasn't been eager to get off the bench.)

Here's the deal, writing letters to encourage Rose would be one thing, but specifically asking fans to "yell at him, plead with him, convince him, and say whatever they want" is another thing. This station is condoning bullying. The headline itself says Chicago is asking fans to bully him. They're pretty much launching a campaign to bully someone. I've heard of countless campaigns to end bullying, but one asking people to bully? If this isn't ethically wrong then I don't know what is.

The PRSA code of ethics says a member should act in the best interests of the client or employer, even subordinating the member's personal interests. So, if they worked for this CBS radio station who wanted them to help launch this campaign that essentially is promoting bullying, this member wouldn't do it. They would know that this isn't in the best interest for the reputation of the station. CBS is going to look like a bunch of bullies if they continue this campaign. 

As far as my own ethics, I wouldn't necessarily NOT take part in this campaign, but I would definitely try my absolutely hardest to get them to change their strategy. Bully him into playing is not an okay thing to do. Instead of telling fans to yell and plead with him I would suggest telling them to take a positive route. For example, encouraging him and thanking him for his accomplishments with the team prior. Telling him how much he is missed off the court. Reminding him of what a huge asset he is to the team and how him playing could help in the playoffs. 

Ethics is something that a PR person has to think about constantly. It can be controversial when dealing with a client whose ethics are far different than your own. That's when you have to decide whether you want to ignore your own morals and do what is asked of you, or stand up for what you believe in.