Graduating with Ethics

Abstract

This editorial examines the introduction of an ethical commitment into graduation ceremonies for advertising and persuasive communication degrees at Catalan universities, an initiative promoted by the Col·legi del Màrqueting i la Comunicació de Catalunya and unanimously endorsed by its University Committee. Building on this development, the text discusses the importance of professional ethics in a context marked by the growing influence of communication, the fragility of public trust, and the emergence of practices such as washing or covert advertising. The initiative is also situated within the broader international tradition of advertising self-regulation, highlighting ethics as an essential condition for the credibility and social legitimacy of persuasive communication.