ETHICS AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF PUBLIC RELATIONS VISUAL COMMUNICATION AS A MEDIA OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN ENCOURAGING SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN THE ERA OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35631/IJLGC.1143035

Keywords:

Public Relations Ethics, Visual Communication, The Legal Framework Of Communication, Digital Public Education, Sustainable Economic Recovery

Abstract

Digital transformation has encouraged the intensification of the use of visual communication in Public Relations practice as a strategic instrument to convey public information and support the public education process, especially related to the sustainable global economic recovery agenda. However, the expansion of the digital visual space also presents significant normative challenges, especially with regard to communication ethics and compliance with the legal framework of public and digital communication. This research aims to examine conceptually and normatively the role of ethics and the legal framework of visual communication in the practice of Public Relations as a public education medium that contributes to the formation of understanding and strengthening public trust in the era of digital transformation. This research uses a qualitative approach with a normative conceptual design based on the analysis of scientific literature, professional ethics documents, and public and digital communication regulations. Data were obtained through document analysis of the IPRA Code of Conduct, PRSA Code of Ethics, Digital Services Act of the European Commission, and World Economic Forum reports, which were complemented by a reflective analysis of digital visual communication practices as a public education medium. The data were analyzed thematically-normatively to identify key ethical principles, legal limitations of visual communication, and the relationship between normative compliance and strengthening public trust. The results of the study show that the integration of professional ethical principles such as honesty, accuracy, transparency, and social responsibility with adherence to the legal framework of digital communication is the main foundation for credible public relations visual communication practices. Ethical and law-abiding visual communication has proven to play a strategic role as a public education medium that is able to increase social trust, which in turn supports sustainable global economic recovery efforts amid the dynamics of digital transformation.

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bowen, S. A. (2020). Ethical responsibility and public relations: A critical review of norms and practices in the digital era. Journal of Communication Management, 24(3), 181–197. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-12-2019-0143

Dong, C. (2024). When controversy meets controversy, what do you see? Understanding the visual communication of corporate social advocacy on Instagram. [Journal]. ScienceDirect (2024).

European Commission. (2022). Digital Services Act.

Fitzpatrick, K. R., & Rubin, M. S. (2022). Public relations ethics: Professional responsibility in the digital age. Public Relations Review, 48(1), 102135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102135

Floridi, L. (2021). Ethics and digital transformation.

Hou, J. Z. (2024). Putting ethics of care into public relations: Toward a multi-level approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 189(2), 457–472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05436-9

International Public Relations Association. (2011). IPRA code of conduct. International Public Relations Association. https://www.ipra.org/member-services/code-of-conduct/

Kretschmer, J., & Winkler, P. (2024). Prospects and risks of digitalization in public relations research: Mapping recurrent narratives of a debate in fragmentation (2010–2022). Journal of Communication Management, 28(2), 193–210. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-02-2023-0020"

Kretschmer, J., & Winkler, P. (2024). Digitalization in public relations research.

Karatzas, K., & Zhao, J. (2023). Digital communication governance: Legal and ethical challenges in public sector communication. Government Information Quarterly, 40(1), 101742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2022.101742

Kent, M. L., & Lane, A. B. (2021). Strategic communication, social media, and ethical engagement in public relations. Public Relations Review, 47(1), 101976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101976"

Men, L. R., & Tsai, W. H. S. (2022). Public engagement in digital communication.

Macnamara, J. (2020). Public relations and the public sphere in the digital age. Journal of Communication Management, 24(3), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-02-2020-0023

Public Relations Society of America. (2020). PRSA Code of Ethics.

Valentini, C., Romenti, S., & Kruckeberg, D. (2021). Transparency and trust in digital public relations: Ethical implications for global communication. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 26(3), 558–573. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-07-2020-0086

Tambuscio, M., & Di Domenico, M. (2022). Regulating digital communication: Legal implications for public communication practices. Journal of Communication Management, 26(4), 395–410. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-03-2022-0031

Wamprechtsamer, P. (2024). Transparency ideals in online public relations: Between dialogue, accountability, and limits of openness. Journal of Communication Management, 28(1), 55–72. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-06-2023-0068

World Economic Forum. (2021). Global governance of digital communicationForum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table, (2), 1–12.

Downloads

Published

31-03-2026

How to Cite

Hartika, L., Bidin, A., & Narti, S. (2026). ETHICS AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF PUBLIC RELATIONS VISUAL COMMUNICATION AS A MEDIA OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN ENCOURAGING SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN THE ERA OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW, GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATION (IJLGC), 11(43), 542–552. https://doi.org/10.35631/IJLGC.1143035