Technology may change the way organizations communicate, but it does not change their ethical responsibilities. From institutional crises in sports to the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, the cases from this week reveal a common lesson:
When organizations prioritize reputation, convencince or existing systems over accountability, trust becomes the real casualty.
When protecting the organization becomes the problem
The NFL concussion controversy demonstrates how dangerous organizational self-protection can become when leaders possess information that affects stakeholders well-being. Research increasingly connected repeated head trauma with serious long-term consequences, yet the league spent years facing criticism over how it acknowledged and communicated those risks. The Penn State scandal presents an even more severe example of institutional failure. The university’s response raises questions about leadership, transparency and what happens when protecting an institution’s reputation takes priority over protecting vulnerable people.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49940451/how-nfl-players-cope-cte-risks
These cases demonstrate why ethical public relations must extend beyond crisis messaging. PR professionals should be willing to challenge organizational decisions before they become reputation crisis. Ethical communication cannot repair an organization that refuses to behave ethically in the first place.
AI creates new tools, not new excuses
Artificial intelligence adds another layer to this responsibility. Mattiazzi’s research found gender bias in both textual and visual AI outputs, including stereotypical representations of engineers, nurses, household responsibilities and CEOs. Importantly, these biases originate in human-created data and existing structural inequalities rather than appearing from nowhere.
Dove’s #KeepBeautyReal campaign demonstrates one way brands can respond proactively. Rather than allowing AI to redefine its long-standing Real Beauty positioning, Dove pledged not to use AI to create to distort images of women. That commitment connects ethical decision-making directly to brand values.
For PR practitioners, this matters because AI does not eliminate human responsibility. PRSA’s guidance on ethical AI use emphasizes human judgment, transparency, critical evaluation and bias awareness. Similarly, Associated Press reporting has documented concerns that AI systems can reproduce discrimination found in historical data.
Trust requires human accountability
Across these cases, the technology and circumstances change, but the ethical obligation does not. Whether addressing athlete safety, the institutional misconduct or algorithmic bias, communicators must ask more than “Can we do this?” They must ask “Should we?”
Ultimately, organizations earn trust when accountability comes before reputation-not after a crisis forces their hand.
references
Seifert, K., & Holder, S. (2026, September 30). How NFL players cope with CTE risks, fears and internal debates – ESPN. ESPN.Com; ESPN. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49940451/how-nfl-players-cope-cte-risks
Sullivan, B. (2022, October 13). Explaining the NFL’s latest concussion controversy and policy change. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/10/13/1128524103/nfl-concussion-latest
Mattiazzi, M. (2025). AI and Language: New Forms for Old Discriminations? A Case Study in Google Translate and Canva. Feminismo/S, 45, 118–138. https://doi.org/10.14198/fem.2025.45.05
The Ethical Use of AI For Public Relations Practitioners Guidance from the PRSA Board of Ethics and Professional Standards (BEPS). (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2026, from https://www.prsa.org/docs/default-source/about/ethics/ethicaluseofai.pdf
Bedayn, J. (2024, March 5). States Target AI’s Hidden Hand in Americans” Lives. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-ai-explained-policy-technology-regulations-discrimination-d3226c9139d3d06af263e7ff467d0666
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