Assessment of the Adherence to Public Relations Code of Ethics by Practitioners in Lagos State

Authors

  • Chuddy Christian Oduenyi School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University, Lagos
  • Emeka Williams Etumnu Imo State University, Owerri

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37535/1050041202510

Keywords:

Public relations, ethical practices, PR practitioners, professional ethics, code of conduct

Abstract

The study investigated practitioners' adherence to Lagos State, Nigeria's public relations code of ethics. The study was anchored on the two-way symmetrical model of PR and absolutist ethical theory. The investigation adopted an in-depth interview research method. The researchers reached out to 10 PR practitioners in Lagos. The researchers utilized the purposive sampling technique, and the interview guide was used as the data collection instrument. It was revealed that PR practitioners are vastly knowledgeable about the existing code of ethics governing PR practices in Lagos state and, by extension, Nigeria. Also, the result indicated that there is a low level of adherence to the code of ethics.  It was recommended that strict regulatory principles and actions be enforced on erring PR practitioners in Lagos state to deter others from breaking or twisting the code of ethics of PR practices and serve their agenda.

Author Biographies

Chuddy Christian Oduenyi, School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University, Lagos

Chuddy C. Oduenyi is a journalist, historian, and public relations consultant. He is the managing director and chief executive officer of Compact Communication Limited, a leading public relations consultancy based in Lagos, Nigeria. He is also an adjunct member of the faculty at Pan Atlantic University in Lagos, where he lectures at the School of Media and Communication. He is also a facilitator at the Lagos Business School.

Emeka Williams Etumnu, Imo State University, Owerri

Etumnu Emeka Williams is a doctoral student at Imo State University, Owerri. He was among UNESCO's top three research prize winners across the non-Sahel West African region in 2020. He has published articles in reputable journals. He is also a reviewer for reputable journals indexed in Scopus. Email: [email protected]

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Published

2025-01-31

How to Cite

Oduenyi, C. C., & Etumnu, E. W. (2025). Assessment of the Adherence to Public Relations Code of Ethics by Practitioners in Lagos State. Journal of Communication and Public Relations, 4(1), 170–186. https://doi.org/10.37535/1050041202510