In an extraordinarily personal account of confronting his personal demons, a former senior insurance industry executive today urged public relations pros to put ethics ahead of personal gain.
Wendell Potter, APR, told attendees at the Public Relations Society of America’s annual International Conference that the ethics lessons he learned from a college professor and mentor ultimately triumphed, catapulting him into the role of whistleblower against an industry battling insurance reform.
“I think I lost my moral compass along the way,” said Potter, who testified against the HMO industry before the U.S. Senate in June. “I often was ashamed, quite frankly, about what I was doing.”
