Katy Katopodis' PRCA Ethics & Practices Board appointment underscores its critical role

This follows the recent appointments of Dustin Chick, partner and managing director at Razor PR, Bridget von Holdt, co-market lead and managing director at BCW Africa, and Adam Hunter, managing director of Hook Line & Sinker to the PRCA’s Ethics & Practices Network.

The Network is a continent-wide programme to elevate operating standards and overall ethical conduct for communicators and their work across the continent.

Katopodis’ appointment underscores the serious impact of this work and the critical role it serves in driving governance standards and behaviours for the whole sector.

The editor-in-chief of Kaya FM and member of the management committee of the SA National Editors Forum (Sanef) Katopodis says it an immense privilege and responsibility to be asked to represent the voice of media in this network.

“Communicators and journalists have worked with each other for decades, and we must hold each other to account for what communications is provided, how it is received and ultimately how it is used.

“Having an independent member of this team creates automatic accountability which already places the work this committee will do on the continent above many global peers,” she adds.

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Double down on governance guidelines

“It has never been as important to double down on our governance guidelines and ethical conduct as communicators,” says Chick.

“We are entrusted with the reputations of good companies, brands and people – which places us at the centre of how things are properly communicated. Added to this is the dramatic rise of misinformation, and what this means about our role in elevating truth above the noise,” he elaborates.

3 key focus areas

Von Holdt says there is a lot to be done. “While we cannot expect that we can do what we want all at once, our initial focus is on three key areas.”

These are:

1. To work with our global peers to formalise an agency and client charter for Africa.
   
2. To provide policy and guidelines about artificial intelligence.
   
3. To drive education on ethics and conduct as much as possible in bringing all African communicators to the fore.

At the centre

Hunter explains that they are placing this work at the centre of creating a better and more responsible communications market in Africa.

“This cannot be underestimated. This is a long-term effort to create guidelines that means the work we produce is trusted, and that we do not allow room for anything other than doing the right thing,” he says.