5 Questions about Ethics in Political Communication

Those who do political communication for a living tend to think of themselves as generally ethical people doing the best they can to make the world and our country a little better. To find out more about those ethical foundations we are asking political communication professionals, and those who study political communication, what, if any, ethical responsibility political communication professionals have, and to whom or what they have that responsibility.

All participants answer the same five questions (more or less):

  1. What ethical standards should be?

  2. Why someone should be ethical?

  3. What are some examples of ethical and unethical behavior?

  4. What should those just starting out should think about?

  5. We might also ask another question or three, depending on what’s in the news, how the conversation is going, or because we think it’s interesting.

A close-up portrait of a smiling African American man with glasses, wearing a beige blazer and navy blue shirt, against a gray background.
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A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a light blue blazer and large hoop earrings, smiling confidently with her arms crossed in an indoor setting.
A smiling man with gray hair and beard, wearing glasses and a blue collared shirt, standing outdoors in front of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
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A smiling man standing outdoors in front of a cityscape with tall buildings and a cloudy sky.
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A smiling middle-aged man with glasses in a suit and tie, standing in front of a window with a cityscape background.
A young man in a dark suit, white shirt, and black tie smiling against a plain, light background.
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A smiling man with gray hair and a beard in a dark suit with crossed arms in an office setting.