The members of the public relations profession fulfill an important social function, as they are constantly conveying information from the organizations they represent to society (and the media), and are in dialogue with groups within society. To live up to the responsibility that this function entails, it is in the interests of all PR and communication professionals to define the limits of responsible advocacy, to monitor the observance of the agreed norms and to publicize violations. With the present German Communication Code, which was developed over a long period and adopted in 2012, the German Public Relations Council (DRPR), as an institution of voluntary self-regulation financed by the most important industry associations, has established a mandatory framework for ethics and behavior in day-to-day work. The code reflects on the work of PR and communication professionals. With the norms arising from these reflections, it aims to provide orientation and legitimation for professional activity within the PR field and towards society. The German Communication Code is closely linked with the DRPR Guidelines, developed and regularly updated by the German PR Council. These give more detail on individual aspects of the areas addressed in the Communication Code.
 
You can download the German Communication Code here:

 

At www.kommunikationskodex.de you can follow the public online discussion that preceded the resolution to adopt the German Communication Code.