Personal Voice and Professional Duty: The Ethics of Public Expression in Public Relations

7 November 2025 Reading Time: 4 minutes

Erla Björg Eyjólfsdóttir:

In today’s always-on communication environment, every opinion has the potential to  become a headline — and every social post can ripple across the reputational ecosystem of a brand. 

For public relations (PR) professionals, this reality presents a growing ethical dilemma.  We are the architects of strategic communication — trusted with shaping narratives,  guiding perception, and safeguarding reputation — yet we are also individuals with our  own values, convictions, and digital footprints. 

Early in my career, while studying media and public relations, I made a deliberate  decision about the kind of professional I wanted to become. I went through all my social  media channels and removed posts and comments that reflected strong personal  opinions. I wasn’t ashamed of what I’d posted — opinions about politics, culture, the  odd sarcastic take on the news, and commentary that reflected a more informal tone — but I realized something: if someone came to me for guidance in a high-stakes moment,  would they trust me to be neutral? 

That choice was about more than optics; it was about integrity. As PR professionals, we  are often the people others turn to in moments of uncertainty. To do that work  responsibly, we must be perceived as fair, balanced, and trustworthy — no matter who  sits across the table from us. 

Navigating the tension between personal expression and professional responsibility has  become one of the defining challenges of modern PR practice. 

Wearing Two Hats: Human First, PR Professional Always 

In public relations, we carry an odd duality. We’re humans with beliefs, humor, and  frustration — but we’re also stewards of reputation. We’re often behind the scenes,  quietly shaping narratives during moments when words carry weight. And in the age of digital transparency, there’s little distinction between our personal and professional  lives. Clients, journalists, and peers — they all see the same feed. 

A former colleague once told me, “You don’t get a private life in PR. Just a more curated  one.” I believe she was right — but that doesn’t mean we stop being real. It means we  must understand how perception operates in the ecosystems we serve. 

Over time, I’ve come to understand that the credibility we offer others depends on our ability to manage that overlap — not by hiding who we are, but by being intentional about what we project. 

What I Now Teach My Students 

As I moved into teaching, I began having this conversation more frequently — with  students eager to build personal brands and professionals navigating complex online  environments. 

I often ask them: “Would you still post that if your biggest client thought it reflected their  values?” 

This question is not designed to silence their voice — but to prompt reflection about the  responsibility that comes with visibility. Integrity doesn’t mean neutrality on every issue,  but it does mean being clear about who you speak for, and when. 

PR professionals are not meant to be in the spotlight; they are meant to design it — determining how, where, and why their clients appear in it. Our credibility depends on  trust, neutrality, and discretion. 

When we publicly express strong personal opinions, especially on divisive social or  political issues, we risk blurring the line between authenticity and objectivity. 

Recent studies in communication and media ethics show that while social media  strengthens connection, it can also weaken perceptions of expertise. The more visible  the individual becomes; the more audiences conflate personal voice with professional representation. In small markets — like Iceland and other tightly knit societies — this  overlap is even more pronounced. Visibility may build recognition, but it can also create  confusion about whose interests we represent. 

Credibility Is Still Our Most Valuable Currency 

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute as a visiting lecturer at  universities, engaging with students on topics such as strategic communication, ethics,  and professional conduct. I’ve also been trusted to handle crisis communications and  guide organizations through some of their most challenging moments. Each time, the  trust people place in me is built not just on skill, but on reputation. 

Credibility is earned over time — not only through expertise, but through the consistency of our conduct, especially when no one is watching. 

Five Practices That Ground Me 

During the past year, while working at an international consultancy under the  mentorship of an exceptional executive at Mentor, I have developed and refined a set of  practical principles to help navigate the ongoing tension between personal expression  and professional responsibility. 

These principles are not created in isolation. They are informed by widely recognized  professional codes — such as those established by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) — which emphasize integrity, transparency, and accountability as foundational values of ethical communication. 

Over time, I’ve come to rely on a few key practices: 

1. Treat every channel as public. Even if it’s “personal,” someone is always watching. 
2. Apply the client filter. Could this post be misinterpreted as representing a client’s views?
3. Disclose or disengage. If I hold a bias, I acknowledge it — or I step back. 
4. Resist the urge to react. Silence, when chosen intentionally, can be the most strategic response. 
5. Model the behavior I expect. In mentorship and leadership alike, how I conduct  myself sets the tone for others. 

These are not rigid rules, but reminders — guardrails that help me remain grounded,  consistent, and credible in both personal and professional spheres. 

The Bottom Line 

The lines between personal identity and professional duty are blurrier than ever. But I  don’t believe the solution is to retreat or become robotic. I believe it’s to lean into  awareness — to recognize that in PR, how we speak matters just as much as what we  say. 

For those of us in this field, our personal voice is a powerful tool. But it should never  come at the expense of professional responsibility. Credibility — not visibility — is  what makes people trust us when it counts. 

And trust, once lost, is hard to earn back. 

As the profession continues to evolve, so too must our self-awareness and our  standards — because ethical communication is not a fixed point, but a daily practice. 

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Erla Björg Eyjólfsdóttir is a Strategic Communication Specialist and Lecturer at Bifröst University in Iceland  

 

Written by: Editor