Political Communication Ethics

An Oxymoron?

Robert E. Denton Jr.

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2000
• ISBN:
  9780313019388
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

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.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Series Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1. The Ethical Performances of Candidates in American Presidential Campaign Dramas
• 2. Images, Issues, and Political Structure: A Framework for Judging the Ethics of Campaign Discourse
• 3. Electronic Democracy, Virtual Politics, and Local Communities
• 4. Ethical Considerations of Civil Discourse: The Implications of the Rise of "Hate Speech"
• 5. Dangers of "Teledemocracy": How the Medium of Television Undermines American Democracy
• 6. Narrative Form and the Deceptions of Modern Journalism
• 7. Ethics and Political Advertising
• 8. Soft Money and Hard Choices: The Influence of Campaign Finance Rules on Campaign Communication Strategy
• 9. Internet Ethics
• 10. Epilogue: Constitutional Authority, Public Morality, and Politics
• Selected Bibliography
• Index
• About the Editor and Contributors