By Professor Jeff MorosoffAssociate Professor of Public Relations

When former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer made a self-mocking cameo appearance at the Emmy Awards last Sunday, I, like much of the audience, was surprised and delighted. I thought, “It’s so cool that Spicer’s able to laugh at himself, and we can laugh with him!”

Then I began reading reactions on social media and commentary from journalists on both sides of the political aisle. Retired CBS News anchor Dan Rather wrote, “It is not funny that the American people were lied to. It is not funny that the press was attacked for doing its job. It is not funny that the norms of our democracy have been trampled.” Frank Bruni authored an angry column for The New York Times titled “The Shameful Embrace of Sean Spicer at the Emmys,” and Donald Trump supporter Mark Dice, a YouTuber and self-described “media analyst exposing fake news,” labeled the former White House spokesman a “traitor” who “sold out.”

White House spokesperson is one of the most significant and impactful public relations jobs in the world. Spicer, who held the position for six months before resigning, has made several public appearances recently, notably on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show. Following a clip of Spicer telling the press that he would never knowingly say something that was not factual, Kimmel asked him how was he able to say that the size of the crowd at the inauguration was bigger than it was, which Spicer notably did in his very first press conference. Spicer responded, “Your job as press secretary is to represent the president’s voice and to make sure you’re articulating what he believes … whether or not you agree or not isn’t your job. Your job is to give him advice. Ultimately, he is the president (and) he decides. That’s what you signed up to do.”

Spicer went on to explain, “Sometimes we can disagree with the facts.” Kimmel asked, “Can we, though, disagree with the facts?” Spicer rationalized, “It’s my job to speak on (Trump’s) behalf. So if you’re not speaking in the way that he wants, obviously he wanted to make sure he corrected that.”

Interestingly, all this occurred during September, the month in which the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) focuses its programs and publications on the six core values highlighted in its Code of Ethics. In public relations classrooms across the U.S., professors and instructors reinforce the importance of truth, trust and transparency in the PR profession. Here are the PRSA code’s six core values:

Advocacy – We serve the public interest by acting as responsible advocates for those we represent. We provide a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate.

Honesty – We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.

Expertise – We acquire and responsibly use specialized knowledge and experience. We advance the profession through continued professional development, research and education. We build mutual understanding, credibility and relationships among a wide array of institutions and audiences.

Independence – We provide objective counsel to those we represent. We are accountable for our actions.

Loyalty – We are faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.

Fairness – We deal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors, the media and the general public. We respect all opinions and support the right of free expression.

In retrospect, Sean Spicer’s legacy is that he failed PRSA’s ethics test. His performance as press secretary hurt the reputation of the public relations profession, which is often faced with such challenges when practitioners avoid the truth and “spin” the facts. Maybe when he apologizes for disparaging the press and feeding America and the world “alternative truths,” only then might it be okay to laugh with him.

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