Abstract
Ethical behaviour has long been a subject of the strategic communication discipline, but in South Africa, there are few empirical studies on ethical practice to date. Using a qualitative methodology, this study examines what constitutes ethical communication and how strategic communication practitioners from diverse organisations perceive their role as a “moral compass” during a crisis. The study indicates that ethical principles of communication are employed, but practitioners still find themselves in conflict with truth-telling. Overall, the results show that respondents identify more with ethical counsel types than advocacy role types. In terms of counsel types of ethics, being authentic, empathetic, truthful, honest, owning up to mistakes, being open and transparent, and being sensitive to stakeholders’ urgent needs were paramount. On the basis of this study, although marked with issues of legal challenges, as well as leaders and clients who often want practitioners to compromise on their ethical conscience roles, practitioners were insisting on performing the role of ethics counsel in their organisations. This study contributes to the strategic communication discipline by offering insights into ethical communication and provides a foundation from which future research can leverage.