Ethical PR Practices in The Digital Age: A Cross-Provincial Comparison in Pakistan

Abstract

This paper examines ethical public relations (PR) practices in the digital age in all four provincial Directorates General of Public Relations (DGPRs) in Pakistan. With the increasing use of platforms like Facebook, X formerly known as Twitter, and WhatsApp for official communication by government agencies, issues of misinformation, political manipulation, and competing ethical standards are being raised. In qualitative analysis, 8 in-depth interviews were taken from PR officials of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan to analyze how digital communication is being handled and what ethical issues arise province-wise, The findings indicate that while digital platforms have increased the speed and ease of public communication, there are serious ethical issues like misinformation, anonymous handles, political manipulation of content, and poor mechanisms of accountability. The inquiry further discovers cultural, religious, and regional factors influencing communications practices differently in provinces. Participants overwhelmingly underscored the necessity for a uniform national framework to oversee digital PR ethics and institutional strength, paper study concludes that standard policy, uniform training, and culturally attuned approaches tailored to provincial contexts are required to achieve ethical, transparent, and inclusive government communication in Pakistan.