Honesty and Integrity for PR Pros in the Post-Truth Era with Samantha Villegas

Dishonesty and deceit have become the defining features of much communication today, in politics and business alike. What are public relations professionals to do?

Samantha Villegas joins Abbie Fink and Adrian McIntyre to talk about PR ethics in a post-truth era. She talks about the importance of ethical standards, the impact of misinformation, and strategies for discerning truth.

And perhaps most importantly, Sam touches on the importance of courage in standing up against dishonest practices and the necessity of critical thinking to combat disinformation.

Read the transcript and notes for this episode on our website.

Key Takeaways

• The normalization of lying creates a challenging environment for PR professionals committed to honesty.
• Ethical communication is fundamental to the integrity of public relations and should prioritize the public good.
• PR professionals must develop a keen awareness of red flags indicating dishonest communication.
• Effective communication strategies must involve critical analysis and an unwavering commitment to ethical standards.
• Courage is essential when standing up for truth in professional settings, even when it means dissenting from the official narrative.

About the Guest

Samantha Villegas is an award-winning communications and outreach executive, with over 30 years of experience in public communication and participation. Sam is a member of Raftelis’ Strategic Communications Practice, helping utilities and local governments develop relationships and engage equitably with their stakeholders around critical topics like affordability, public health, and environmental protection. She counsels executives through programmatic changes, strategic planning, and reputational crises, and she designs and implements strategic communication and stakeholder engagement programs that bring diverse interest together in support of efforts that benefit communities' triple bottom line. Prior to Raftelis, Sam led communications programs at American Water, Loudoun Water, and for EPA’s Office of Water. Sam also owned her own communications agency for seven years, serving clients in the water sector, including AWWA, WRF, ASDWA and several utilities. Sam is actively involved in AWWA, WEF, NACWA, and PRSA (the Public Relations Society of America). She holds a master’s degree in environmental policy from Johns Hopkins University, she is accredited in public relations from PRSA and a member of its College of Fellows, and she holds certificates in public participation from the International Association of Public Participation.

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Need to hire a PR firm?

We demystify the process and give you some helpful advice in Episode 19: "How to Hire a Public Relations Agency in Arizona: Insider Tips for Executives and Marketing Directors."

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