Astroturfing, smear campaigns, and social media manipulation — ethically dubious tactics that not only overshadow the valuable work of PR professionals but also erode public trust and challenge the very integrity of our industry.

This could describe the controversy surrounding actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on the set of their film It Ends With Us, which led to Lively filing a lawsuit in December 2024 against Baldoni and others. It offers a troubling case study in PR ethics and the profession’s reputation, as The New York Times, BBC, and other media outlets have reported at length.

While centred in the film industry, this Hollywood debacle highlights ethical challenges that resonate across PR and communication in other business sectors.

A Troubling Case

During the production of It Ends With Us, a film based on Colleen Hoover’s bestseller and released in August 2024, Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath of boundary violations and inappropriate behaviour. In response, safeguards were introduced, and creative tensions ultimately gave Lively control over the film’s final cut.

However, as the film neared release, reports emerged of an alleged smear campaign and a coordinated effort by Baldoni’s PR team to discredit Lively. Using ethics-trampling tactics such as planting negative media stories and manipulating social media narratives, this alleged campaign tarnished Lively’s reputation while raising serious ethical concerns about the role of PR professionals.

The result was a reputational hit for Lively, with tangible impacts on her career and business ventures.

The Ethical Quandary

This incident underscores significant issues within the public relations industry. Codes of ethics and/or conduct from organisations like CIPR, PRSA and IABC outline principles such as honesty, transparency, and fairness, but these are toothless without accountability.

The tactics used in this alleged campaign highlight several breaches:

1. Defamation: Spreading falsehoods violates ethical codes and undermines trust in PR professionals.
2. Lack of Transparency: The covert nature of the smear campaign deprived Lively of any opportunity to defend herself or correct misinformation.
3. Abuse of Power: The campaign reinforced troubling power dynamics, using PR as a tool to silence and discredit a woman raising legitimate concerns.

As Shel Holtz and I discussed in our For Immediate Release podcast episode 442 published last week, the industry faces an existential question: How do we prevent such egregious behaviour on ethics from defining PR in the public eye?

Should we accept that bad actors will continue to dominate headlines while ethical practitioners go unnoticed?

Why Licensing Could Be the Game-Changer

In our podcast, Shel and I discussed one potential solution — the introduction of licensing or mandatory accreditation for PR practitioners, similar to regulating professions like law and medicine.

Licensing could:

• Establish Standards: Define clear ethical boundaries and professional best practices.
• Enable Sanctions: Provide mechanisms to revoke licences or impose penalties for unethical behaviour.
• Rebuild Trust: Signal to clients and the public that licensed practitioners adhere to strict ethics guidelines.

This idea isn’t new, and it remains contentious. Critics argue that the creative and flexible nature of PR makes it difficult to regulate. Yet, as Shel pointed out, we aren’t looking to mandate “one right way” of practising PR. Instead, the focus should be on drawing a clear line between ethical and unethical behaviour and holding practitioners accountable.

However, licensing is not without challenges. Public relations thrives on creativity and flexibility — attributes difficult to regulate. And, as we’ve discussed before, there continues to be little appetite within the profession or among clients for this kind of structural reform.

Without mechanisms to enforce accountability, though, the cycle of bad actors tarnishing the profession will inevitably continue.

For a deeper discussion on this issue, listen to episode 442 of the For Immediate Release podcast, where Shel Holtz and I explore the ethical dilemmas at play.

Steps We Can Take to Reclaim PR Ethics

The road to meaningful change is long, but inaction isn’t an option. Here’s how we can start:

1. Amplify Ethical PR: Ethical practitioners and agencies must take the lead in showcasing the positive side of PR. Highlighting case studies of ethical success could help shift the narrative and inspire others to follow suit.
2. Client Education: Organisations hiring PR support must be encouraged to prioritise ethical agencies and practitioners. This can involve looking for accreditation from bodies like the Global Communication Certification Council or adherence to professional codes of ethics. Encouraging ethical hiring practices not only fosters integrity but also creates a ripple effect, establishing trust across industries.
3. Professional Advocacy: Industry associations need to champion reform. While they cannot enforce licensing, they can create frameworks for accountability and support broader adoption of ethical standards.
4. Public Awareness: Clients and the public must be made aware of the risks of working with unprincipled agencies. Awareness campaigns could educate stakeholders on recognising and avoiding unethical practices. Transparency in hiring PR agencies could become a benchmark for ethical collaboration between organisations and communicators.
5. Peer Accountability: Practitioners should hold each other accountable by reporting violations, calling out unethical behaviour, and fostering a culture of integrity. Creating anonymous reporting mechanisms within agencies could empower employees to call out unethical practices without fear of reprisal.
6. Grassroots Action: As we discussed in the podcast, even small actions — writing posts, sharing stories, and sparking conversations — can amplify the ethics debate and build momentum for change. Collective voices can push this issue into the spotlight. Even small, consistent efforts can snowball into a larger movement, forcing the industry to acknowledge and address these issues. History shows us that grassroots movements, like the shift towards sustainability in marketing, can redefine industries over time.

A Call to Action

The Blake Lively case is a stark reminder of the unfinished work that remains in PR. It’s tempting to feel powerless in the face of such entrenched problems, but we can’t let complacency be an option. Whether through licensing, education, or grassroots advocacy, we must commit to raising the bar for our profession.

The question isn’t whether PR can evolve — it must. The real question is whether we, as professionals, will take the lead in redefining its future. Let “It ends with us” be a rallying cry for change. As professionals, the responsibility to act begins with each of us, starting now.

As we end one year and begin another, let’s keep this conversation alive. As PR professionals, we owe it to ourselves, our employers, clients, and the public to uphold the values that form the foundation of our craft.

The actions of its worst practitioners should not define the PR industry’s reputation.

Listen to FIR 442

You can listen to or download our 20-minute conversation right here; or, if you don’t see the embedded audio player below, listen with your favourite podcast app or on the episode 442 show notes page on the podcast website.

You can find links there to the source material we used in this episode, along with the verbatim transcript of our conversation.

Related Reading:

• Public Relations is at the Crossroads of Measurement and Standards (1 November 2024)

(The image at the top is from an It Ends With Us film poster with Blake Lively via IMDB.)