Political Communication Ethics

Theory and Practice

Edited by Peter Loge

Publication date:

14 August 2020

Length of book:

276 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781538129968

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.

Part One: Political Communication Ethics in Theory

1. Ancient Democracy and Ethical Persuasion, Kenneth R. Chase

2. Ethics and the Ends of Rhetoric, Janet M. Atwill

3. Communication Ethics in Machiavelli, Alexander S. Duff

4. Toward an Idealistic Political Theory of American and Global Politics in an Era of Ascendant Incivility, Benjamin Voth

5. Civil Religion as an Ethical Foundation for Political Communication, Peter Loge

6. The Rhetoric and Ethics of Political Communication: Freedom Summer as a Case Study in Moral Leadership, Mark L. McPhail

7. The Ethical Implications of the Presidential Speechwriter’s Metaphors: Michael Gerson’s “The First Sign of a Smoking Gun Might be a Mushroom Cloud”, David A. Frank

8. Overview of Digital Political Communication and Marketing, Jennifer Lees-Marshment and Vincent Raynauld

Part Two: Political Communication Ethics in Practice

9. Goalposts and Guardrails: A Mixed-Metaphor Guide to Ethics in Advocacy Campaigns, Elisa Massimino

10. Yes, We Must Do Better (But It’s Not as Bad as You Think), Edward Brookover

11. Instructions Not Included: The Limited Function of Laws, Norms, and Political Incentives in Political Communications Ethics, Kip F. Wainscott

12. Defense of the Dark Arts: A Primer on the Ethics of ‘Oppo’, Andrew Lautz

13. How Political Fact-Checkers Obscure Larger Truths in the Pursuit of Small Ones, Anson Kaye

14. Ethics in Political Speechwriting, Rachel Wallace

15. Identity Crisis: The Blurred Lines for Consumers and Producers of Digital Content, Cheryl Contee and Rosalyn Lemieux

16. The Ethics of Lobbying, Matthew L. Johnson and Israel S. Klein

This book is a much needed resource for students and scholars across many disciplines who want to better understand the role of ethics as it applies to the theory and practice of politics in a democracy.