Public Relations and Rawls: An Ill-Fitting Veil to Wear

John Rawls's “veil of ignorance” approach to ethical decision making is a staple in mass media ethics literature, but Rawls's overarching theory of distributive justice receives less consideration in public relations ethics than in other communication disciplines. Public relations ethicists who describe the veil often divorce it from Rawls's original intention. This paper describes Rawls's theory; its uses and misuses in contemporary discussions of public relations ethics; six reasons why the veil seems to be a difficult fit for public relations practitioners; and Rawlsian considerations in the context of three commonly accepted public relations models.