A coalition of eleven public relations organizations has agreed on principles that their members will be asked to follow in conducting business on the Internet.

"The coalition members are determined to promote the highest possible professional standards and ethical practices in the digital world," James E. Murphy, president of the Arthur W. Page Society, the organization which coordinated the development of the principles, said in announcing the new ethics code. "They want to insure that the information posted on the Internet is accurate and truthful and that the sources for that information are always identified."

The organizations endorsing the principles included:

• Arthur W. Page Society
• Corporate Communications Institute
• Council of Communication Management
• Council of Public Relations Firms
• The Conference Board's Council on Corporate Communications Strategy
• Institute for Public Relations
• International Association of Business Communicators
• Public Affairs Council
• Public Relations Society of America
• Public Relations Society of America Foundation
• Women Executives in Public Relations.

Among the concerns that prompted the coalition to adopt the new standards was the practice of making anonymous postings in chat rooms and bulletin boards and failing to disclose the background of experts and potential conflicts of interest. With the news media increasingly using the Internet as an information source, it was felt that public relations practitioners risked losing credibility if the information they posted was inaccurate or misleading.

The new ethics code consists of four basic principles.

The first is to present fact-based content, with the obvious implication that you should tell the truth at all times. The second is to be an objective advocate, providing timely and credible information and offering direct interaction with all expert sources.

The third principle involves earning the public's trust. That includes making relevant and accurate information available to all interested parties, disclosing participation in online chat rooms and conference, and correcting misinformation that appears online.

The final principle calls for educating the public relations profession on best practices in the use of the Internet and new media.

The coalition has no formal mechanism to monitor the use of the Internet principles but is encouraging the members to voluntarily adopt the ethics code they have approved. To view a copy of the principles, as endorsed by the various organizations, click here.