Five student ambassadors from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter received first place in the national 2020-2021 PRSSA Ethics Competition. Public Relations seniors Macayla Bricarell and Sophie Hanneken, juniors Yafit Gani and Sarah Main, and freshman Desiree Anello contributed to the winning entry.

The annual competition was created to encourage students to become engaged and learn about ethics in a fun, competitive manner. To enter students had to analyze a case study featuring a PR agency’s decision to allow co-workers and interns to return to work without proper protocols for controlling or limiting the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. Using a newspaper article format, they conveyed their findings on whether there was a violation of the PRSA Code of Ethics and provided a solution to remedy the situation.

The UF PRSSA submission, one of seven nationally, found that the PR agency violated the PRSA Code of Ethics by “not creating a safe space for debate and not respecting the opinions of all employees.” The entry also included information graphics featuring statistics on how COVID-19 affects minorities in the workplace, virtual and remote alternatives, and actions to reduce risk.

Posted: February 16, 2021
Category: College News, Student News
Tagged as: PRSSA