Principles and Values

The PRSA Code is designed to be a useful guide for PRSA members as they carry out their ethical responsibilities. The document is designed to anticipate and accommodate, by precedent, ethical challenges that may arise.  The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is committed to ethical practices. The level of public trust PRSA members seek, as we serve the public good, means we have taken on a special obligation to operate ethically.  The value of member reputation depends upon the ethical conduct of everyone affiliated with the Public Relations Society of America. Each of us sets an example for each other - as well as other professionals - by our pursuit of excellence with powerful standards of performance, professionalism, and ethical conduct.  

This came straight from the PRSA code of ethics, and I believe it really tells you a lot about how important values and ethics are in today's society.  It becomes even more important when dealing with any type of journalism, whether it be news writing, public relations, or anything meant to be put in the public eye.  In order for journalism to stay alive and always remain credible to our society, we as journalists must maintain strict principles and values.  The reason for these strict rules among journalists is because without the publics trust and faith in us, we are nowhere.  Our careers wouldn't exist anymore without the basic trust and faith from the public eye.  The public may not realize it, but we (journalists) are just as important to them.  Without us, they wouldn't have anyone to trust but themselves, and they don't have the time to dig into issues and events like we do.  Most information would be solely of word of mouth.  All of this can account for why journalists take their principles and values so seriously.

As far as the difference between principles and values, at first I found it very difficult to determine what it was, but I can say what I've found out about both.  In simple terms, values are the building blocks of principles, while principles show how values are related to each other.  That may seem like an unclear way of putting it, but that is the best way I can explain it.  That is what I came up with after reading about it in different places.