Ethical Dimensions Of Political Communication

This collection of essays examines the specific ethical concerns related to traditional areas of political communication, including political culture, campaigns, media, advertising, ghostwriting, discourse, politicians, and new technologies.

This essay collection examines ethical concerns related to the traditional areas of political communication, including campaigns, media, discourse, and advertising, as well as new technologies, including the Internet. In total, the collection provides one of the few volumes to examine political ethics from an academic perspective rather than from a moralistic or rule orientation. Bruce Gronbeck provides an assessment of presidential campaigns, arguing that ethical judgments of citizens are based on candidates' actions and motives, character, and competence. Ronald Lee explores the ethics of campaign discourse, and he charts the relationship between presidential candidates' projection of civic virtue and the political arrangements that dictate the course of the campaign itself. Steven Goldzwig and Patricia Sullivan examine what happens to discourse when the divide between the haves and have-nots translates into a local community disconnected from virtual politics. The nature, types, and impact of the growing use of hate speech in contemporary politics is explored by Rita Whillock, while Robert Denton investigates television as an instrument of governing and its impact on the nature of democracy. Gary Woodward looks at the ethics of political journalism, and Lynda Lee Kaid analyzes the ethical issues raised by political advertising in all forms. Clifford Jones looks at the impact of campaign finance rules on campaign communication strategy; Gary Selnow explores the ethics of politics on the Internet; and Robert Denton concludes by examining the relationship between constitutional authority and public morality. An important text for students as well as scholars investigating contemporary American politics.

Political Communication Ethics: Theory and Practice brings together scholars and practitioners to introduce students to what, if any, ethical responsibilities political professionals have. Chapter authors range from a top Republican lobbyist to an Obama appointee, from leading academics to top digital strategists, and more. As a collection of diverse perspectives covering speechwriting and political communication, advocacy, political campaigns, online politics, and American civil religion, this book serves as an essential resource for students and scholars across many disciplines.

Seib examines the ethical issues underlying the volatile relationship between journalists and politicians. It provides an inside look at how reporters and candidates do their jobs. From the screening process news organizations use to decide which candidates to cover, to the truth-testing of political ads, to the controversies surrounding election night projections, this work articulates crucial ethical questions and helps readers in their search for answers. As a political communications text, Campaigns and Conscience looks at the many facets of political journalism: what reporters need to know before covering a campaign; how to approach the character issue; how to keep up with the frantic pace of a campaign; why campaign ads should be covered as news; the allure and dangers of polls, projections, and endorsements; and the responsibility of the press to cover one of the most powerful quasi-political institutions--the press itself.

Working in the tradition of analytic philosophy, Alexander Brown argues that many different forms of political communication (or anti-communication) that often infuriate the public can also be ethically or morally objectionable. These forms include question dodging, offering scripted answers, stonewalling, not listening, disseminating propaganda, pandering, being insincere, giving false denials, issuing revisionist interpretations, refusing to take responsibility, never apologising, boasting, and gaslighting. Brown invokes a host of normative reasons including those having to do with epistemic arrogance, interference in autonomy, and violating the right to be heard. This is not to say that, all things considered, politicians should never engage in dubious political communication. Sometimes these are necessary evils. Brown argues, however, that further moral inquiry is needed to show why they are evils, and to determine when the use of these rhetorical tactics can be excessive, unreasonable, or out of place. Key Features: • Identifies and conceptualises forms of dubious political communication • Develops an ethical evaluation of political communication • Considers possible justifications for the use of dubious political communication • Makes practical recommendations on how to regulate unethical political communication

Exploring Communication Ethics is a comprehensive textbook on the ethical issues facing communication professionals in today’s rapidly changing media environment. Empowering students to respond to real-world ethical dilemmas by drawing upon philosophical principles, historical background, and the ethical guidelines of major professional organizations, this book is designed to stimulate class discussion through real-world examples, case studies, and discussion problems. Students will learn how to mediate between the best interests of their employers and their responsibilities toward other parties, and to consider how economic, technological, and legal changes in their industries affect these ethical considerations. It can be used as a core textbook for undergraduate or graduate courses in communication or media ethics, and provides an ideal supplement for specialist classes in public relations, professional communication, advertising, political communication, or journalism and broadcast media.

Communication Ethics Today includes chapters by leading professionals and academics on: .Ethical issues in alternative journalism .Ethical work practices, communication and organisational commitment .Between trust and anxiety: on the moods of Information Society .Communication and the machine of government .Secrecy, communications strategy and democratic values Professor Clifford Christians, of the University of Illinois-Urbana, says: "These chapters en masse promote truth-telling as the over-arching ethical framework for understanding the media's mission and practice."

A collection of essays from scholars around the globe examining the ethical issues and problems associated with some of the major areas within contemporary international communication: journalism, PR, marketing communication, and political rhetoric.

Through original case studies and analyses of real-life media experiences, Media Ethics challenges readers to think analytically and critically about ethical situations in mediated communication. This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical principles of ethical philosophies, facilitating awareness and critical reflection of ethical issues. In each chapter, the authors examine case studies spanning several continents and geopolitical and cultural contexts. To provide a framework for analyzing the cases and exploring the steps in moral reasoning, the book introduces the Potter Box, a powerful tool for moral analysis. Focusing on a wide range of ethical issues faced by media practitioners and news organizations, the cases in this new twelfth edition include the most prominent concerns in journalism, broadcasting, advertising, public relations, and entertainment today. It explores new topics such as the use of ChatGPT in newsrooms, the privacy implications of biometric technologies, the role of public relations in political campaigns, and advertisers’ approach to sustainability and climate change. This core textbook is ideal for classes in media and communication ethics, journalism, public relations, advertising, entertainment media, and popular culture. Online instructor and student resources, including video introductions to each chapter, PowerPoint slides, sample discussion and exam questions, and links to further resources, are available at www.routledgelearning.com/mediaethics.

This Handbook bridges explicit treatments of ethical issues in communication and implicit considerations of ethics, presenting in one volume analyses and applications that draw upon recognized ethical theories and those which engage important questions of power, equality, and justice. It is intended for scholars in communication, and will serve as a reference text in advanced courses addressing communication and ethics.