By Audree Hernandez, Senior Account Executive at Jmac PR
As I continue my journey to become the ultimate badass PR professional, I’ve come to realize one of my greatest learnings to date: the meaning of transparency. For beginners, this lingo is a key word to know, but it goes beyond a simple crisis communications lesson on the importance of transparency in public relations and ethics.
As PR professionals, we are storytellers, and we hold a responsibility to ensure that the story we are pushing is a truthful one. As technology continues to grow at an unexpected rate, it becomes harder and harder to tell if content is an ad or article, if that content was made by a company with good intent or a greedy agenda, or if it was completely AI-generated or partially proofed by machine learning. The point is, context is everything—no matter who is asking.
For me, your typical visual learner, it takes practice runs and deep understanding of a task to really motivate myself to perform at my best. I call myself “hungry,” “curious,” “intuitive,” and even “purpose-driven.” Some could say that I’m really trying to be one of the few inspired leaders who can understand the “why” behind my thinking, acting, and communicating from the inside out. So without all the deep science and existential thoughts, here’s my best explanation of why it’s important to embody being a transparent leader in my work today.
Clear Communication is Future-Proofing Your Team
Building a future-proof PR team requires a strong internal foundation, with a focus on ethical communication, hands-on experience, and continuous learning. One key aspect is allowing the team to understand the client’s retainer and budget. Some agencies give teams limited access and work, where they are only able to perform tasks within a strict structure. I can see the motivation for keeping some parts of a business confidential, but I also can see how this fragmentation can give the workplace an essence of not being inclusive or transparent: not a place to ask “dumb questions,” “stay in your lane,” “pay your dues,” “figure it the f*ck out” type of toxicity.
I hear horror stories from those before me about getting fired over grammar, like having a misplaced comma in the agenda. I think we can all agree that instilling fear doesn’t make you an inspiring leader, nor does firing someone over something trivial equate to a life-changing lesson. What it does do is create the kind of trauma that makes people leave the industry and change careers. Additionally, it makes me wonder how I would have fared in that crowd at that time with my ADHD and dyslexia. Even with all the utilities and routines I’ve put in place to avoid mistakes, I won’t always be perfect. I am truly grateful to be part of a workforce that is more focused on mental health and inclusivity, where I can find room for growth and opportunities to learn from challenges.
When leaders foster an environment that allows everyone to own their mistakes and learn from them—while also addressing them directly with clients—it cultivates confidence and professional growth. This requires the acknowledgment that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. I think there’s a lot to be said about a workplace providing this insight into the “why” and “how.” It can be monumental for team growth, and can even help ensure that team members are not overly reliant on AI, automation tools, or other shortcuts.
Clients Expect to Follow Your Lead
Generally, clients hire PR professionals for their trusted advice and expertise on navigating a successful campaign. They fully expect you to lead the account’s PR activities and media opportunities with honesty and preparation.
As an account navigator, you and your team should have consistent training and policy updates on another industry standard: AI integrations. That means keeping up to date with the latest ethical standards from credible industry organizations like PRSA. Most agencies and professionals have created whole new policies around work conduct and AI contribution to avoid any kind of malpractice in and out of the workplace. Clients should value original content that was carefully crafted to align with their authentic brand messaging and targeted audience, rather than fully relying on AI-generated content with no editorial oversight. Either way, PR professionals must have a safeguard, such as a formal agreement that any materials provided are approved through proper channels for accurate proofing, citations, and licensing—the main goal being to avoid any form of false information or miscommunication with the media. Maintaining these standards helps build trust with media partners and supports the integrity of PR efforts.
Another way you can give yourself a strong competitive advantage is by showcasing your success and strategic growth with detailed, data-driven PR reports. Highlighting metrics and positive outcomes not only shows that your team can effectively manage a specific narrative, but can also demonstrate how you strategically problem-solve, such as addressing negative responses or feedback from the media. These actions will simultaneously help to build client trust.
Collectively We Can Continue To Navigate The Ethical Landscape
Ultimately, transparency builds genuine authenticity, trust and strong collaboration. Communication encourages creative freedom and constructive criticism. Without these components, building trust in public relations can become difficult, leading to uneasiness in the workplace. If you’re ever contemplating whether you, your workplace, or your client are displaying proper ethical practices, like being “fully transparent,” it’s probably a red flag. As an individual, I encourage PR professionals to never shy away from speaking up about a gut feeling surrounding malpractice, whether at your own workplace or in a client’s campaign. As professionals, we need to be aware of our personal reputations and relationships with the media. Plagiarism isn’t taken lightly in the industry, and neither is sensational PR or supporting false advertising.
We can all push for progressive workplaces that regularly check in on how team members feel about their work and collaboration with clients. There are always new ways (and technical tools) to help us be more transparent. Transparency is fundamental to public relations, and equally vital in any other line of work.
Looking to elevate your brand with transparent and trustworthy public relations? Contact our PR team at Jmac PR to learn how we can help you build credibility and foster lasting relationships with your audience.
If you liked this topic, here’s some other helpful materials to check out that inspired me. Enjoy!
- What Are Common Ethical Dilemmas in Public Relations?
- Ethical communication in the digital age: Best practices for building trust and credibility
- I’m not rude, just direct. Here’s how I learned to communicate with care
- When You Can’t Be Transparent with Your Team
- The transparency paradox: Could less be more when it comes to trust?
- The Case For Transparency In The Workplace, And Its Impact On Organizational Performance
