The Ethics of Political Communication

Abstract

Ethics of journalism (communication) has become an important issue because of the paramount role of the mass media in social life and their frequent bias. A vital aspect in this field is the ethics of political communication. This article analyses from an ethical perspective the main elements of the political communication process, e.g. the communicators, the receivers, the function of the mass media, the purpose and the content of political language. Any ethical analysis must take into account the law of communication and the fact that communication is a fundamental human right. The article concludes that it is difficult to set up a positive link between politics and ethics, nor, by the same token, is it feasible to conceive of political communication as being presided over by ethics.