This week on EthicalVoices, Amie Hoffner, Vice President of Corporate Communications at American Dairy Queen Corporation, shares why communicators need the same protections as attorney–client privilege — and how to stay ethical when the lines between PR, marketing, and media blur. She discusses:

· Why communicators should have the same legal protections as lawyers

· How to avoid "on background" disasters

· Why trusting your gut isn't enough

· How to counsel executives in media interviews

· Why crisis simulations should include an ethical dilemma

Dick Martin, the retired Chief Communication Officer for AT&T and Chairman of the Board of the PR Museum, discusses a number of important ethics issues, including:

1) How a single racist cartoon exposed deeper organizational issues and sparked meaningful change

2) Why telling the truth in PR isn't always easy

3) Why strong ethics requires more than good intentions

4) Why you should be careful about getting too clever

This week on Ethical Voices, Tammy Gordon, the (past) public information department manager for the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. [Editors note: I sat on this interview for way too long and she is now Director of Public Affairs at the Citrus Heights Water District], discusses a number of important ethical issues, including:

· How to navigate ethical conflict when your job challenges your personal values

· How to intervene when colleagues prioritize quick fixes over responsible practices

· How to address unethical behavior without triggering defensiveness

· Why silence in the face of misinformation is an ethical failure