Limited Disclosure

In contrast, limited disclosure describes a situation when not all information can be released. It is, perhaps, at times the practical interpretation of disclosure.

All practitioners will learn that there are some things you cannot say to anyone and some things that you cannot tell every public. In situations like these, practitioners must allow their ethics and codes of ethics to guide their selection of what to disclose and to whom. A practitioner must first determine what publics need what information. While consumers do not need to know the secret formula for making a product (such information would be considered proprietary), consumers do have the right to know what ingredients are in the product. Limited disclosure of information would be expected.

If you were a manager, you wouldn’t share employee evaluations with everyone. Again, limited disclosure of information is appropriate. Similarly, you wouldn’t share the concept and ideas for a new product on Twitter or Facebook because doing so would harm the organization you represent.

Likewise, you should not share confidential information from a previous employer that would provide an unfair and competitive advantage to your new boss. Even the PRSA Code of Ethics would uphold such decisions to limit what information is released because the code requires the appropriate protection of confidential and private information and advises members to safeguard against leaking proprietary information that could adversely affect some other party.

The Page Principles remind practitioners to conduct public relations as if the whole enterprise depends on it, therefore, decision making, policies and actions enacted by an organization should consider all stakeholders and their values and expectations. Limited disclosure is the ethical and expected response for all of these examples.