PRSA’s ethics webinar Sept. 25 has five senior members and one non-member, Maria Sonin of Ethics Officer Assn. Press access not as yet allowed.

Maria Sonin
Sonin

The Society’s webinar, "The Silken Trap," will take place at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25. It is free for members and student members and $200 to non-members.

Stephanie Cegielski, VP-PR, has been asked if O’Dwyer reporters can register for the webinar but she has not responded as of press time.

The New York chapter had an ethics panel Sept. 8 that initially barred reporters from attending in person. The rule was relaxed after chapter leaders including president Henry Feintuch were told that barring the press made the webinar unethical.

Reporters were then allowed but could not ask questions during the hour-and-a-half program. The chapter initially said it had no budget for a transcript but then produced its own transcript after the O’Dwyer Co. purchased one for $225.

Details Lacking for Webinar

Cegielski has also been asked why national cannot have a live, real-time webinar like the New York chapter. She has been asked if the session will be recorded and whether the discussion will be made available or a transcript made of the discussion.

Participants, besides Sonin, who is associate director, communications and marketing, ECOA,

are Kirk Hazlett, associate professor, Curry College and member of Ethics Board; Nance Larsen, director of NEA-Alaska and EB member; Marlene Neill, Asst. Prof., Baylor University, EB member, and Philip Tate, Luquire George Andrews, EB member.

Not taking part in the panel is EB chairman George Johnson of University of South Carolina.

An "Overview" of the program says: 'Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.' It's as old as Elizabethan poetry. It's as new as Twitter. Ethical communication has played a part in man's interactions with his fellow man since prehistoric times when he recorded his conquests on the walls of his cave...often 'embellishing' the actual deed in the process. And today, we have social media to expedite the process. Join us for a lively discussion of ethical challenges facing communicators in today's mega-wired business world."