University Park, Pa. — A new and easily-accessible resource for journalists seeking information about ethical issues in communication has been launched by the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication.
The Page Press Center—online at http://pagecenter.comm.psu.edu—links journalists and other investigators with knowledgeable specialists on a wide range of topics in media ethics, such as corporate apologies, financial disclosure, green advertising and privacy.
Most of the specialists available for media inquiries through the Page Press Center are current or former recipients of Page or Johnson Legacy Scholar grants through which they conducted year-long research into areas of ethics and social responsibility. Biographical and contact information for the increasing number of national and international experts has been posted to aid journalists seeking analysis or assistance on ethical issues they might be reporting.
The Arthur W. Page Center, housed in the College of Communications at Penn State, is a research center dedicated to the study and advancement of ethics and responsibility in corporate communication and other forms of public communication. The Center is funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Since its inception in 2004, the Center has awarded more than $238,000 to scholars and professionals (people recognized annually as Page or Johnson Legacy Scholars) throughout the world to support research that makes important contributions to knowledge, practice or public understanding of ethics and responsibility in public communication or other principles of Arthur W. Page.
Arthur W. Page, the longtime vice president for public relations at AT&T, is often regarded as the founder of the modern practice of corporate public relations. He also was a noted educator, publisher and adviser to several U.S. presidents and cabinet members. Page was the first person in a public relations position to serve as an officer and director of a major corporation and, in that capacity, was widely known for management according to the Page Principles, his guidelines for ethical and effective communication with the public and for responsible corporate behavior.