Sarah Isgur has worked in all three branches of government and on three presidential campaigns, including serving as the Deputy Campaign Manager for Carly for President, and was a Fellow at Harvard University's Institute of Politics during the last presidential cycle. She most recently served in the Department of Justice as Director of the Office of Public Affairs and Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General . Sarah took her bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and completed her thesis on the Americanization of British campaign communication at the London School of Economics. At Harvard Law School, she was President of the Harvard Federalist Society and staffed the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. After law school, she served as a law clerk to Judge Edith Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Sarah is a staff writer at The Dispatch, a political analyst for CNN, and a professional lecturer in the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University. @whignewtons
1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?
The ethical standards we hold ourselves and others to in our personal lives should be no different when we cross into the political realm. Despite how television and movies may portray our politics, we do not leave our personal, moral, and ethical codes at the door. In fact, they should be enhanced by the responsibility and duty of public service. The golden rule is no less true behind the White House podium or on a CNN panel, and yet in the age of reality television and fictionalized dramas, we seem to accept a certain level of brutality as “the rules of the game.”
2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?
It is, of course, in a communicator's self interest to be regarded as an ethical person. It builds credibility both inside and outside your own organization. And you serve your boss and organization far better as a credible communicator. That being said, there are larger reasons as well. It sounds silly to say that you may sleep better at night knowing that you have done your best and served your country, but it is also true. Whether you get fired or lose the race, in my experience, you will have fewer regrets and spend less time dwelling on misfortune when you adhere to your own code of ethics in your professional life.
3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”
Not enough people admit when they were wrong. It’s surprising when you think about it because it is so effective at disarming your opposition but we see so little of it in our political conversation. Changing your mind, saying you were wrong in the face of new facts is both an ethical and effective path of political communication that I would like to see more of.
4) Can you give an example of an ethical challenge or question you or political communication professionals in your field have faced or are likely to face?
Rarely a day goes by in a high profile job that a communicator is not given the opportunity to lie and that lying is, in fact, the easier choice. But most people believe lying is bad. And so it is often that case that people will start from the lie and then back track from there until they get to a place that they can defend as ‘not a lie.’ This is the wrong approach. A communicator should start from a place of radical candor and then determine what obligations she has from that position. Candor should always be the goal and the starting place.
5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?
Answer the question you were asked. Show grace to those around you. Be a skeptic but never a cynic.