Project on Ethics in Political Communication
June, 2020
I wrote the last update as the world was closing to fight the spread of COVID-19. This time I am writing in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and a growing global outcry against racism. This moment demands that we ask what our ethical rhetorical obligations are - and that we act on those obligations. Last week, we explored the question of racism and the limits of rhetoric with Prof. Mark McPhail - you can hear the conversation, and read about what else we’ve been up to, below. You can keep up with news from the Project as it happens on Twitter and on our refurbished webpage.
Race, Racism and Rhetoric
I spoke with rhetorical scholar Dr. Mark Lawrence McPhail about race, racism, and the limits of rhetoric in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. We covered a lot of ground, including his essay, “The Rhetoric and Ethics of Political Communication: Freedom Summer as a Case Study in Moral Leadership” which appears in the forthcoming Political Communication Ethics: Theory and Practice. You can watch our conversation here.
Book Available for Pre-Order
Political Communication Ethics: Theory and Practice is due out in August and is available for pre-order from Rowman & Littlefield. Written with students in mind, half of the chapters are by academics and half are by practitioners. As the only book of its kind, anyone who works in or follows political communication will find it interesting.
Case Studies
The Project on Ethics in Political Communication has recently begun working with the Media Ethics Initiative at the University of Texas - Austin to produce and promote political communication ethics case studies. These case studies, which add to the Initiative’s library of case studies in media and other fields, present students and practitioners with short, real-world examples of ethical choices political communication professionals face.
Writing
Media Ethics magazine recently published this Call to Teach Ethics in Political Communication and the National Communication Association’s Current Commentary published this piece arguing that Pete Buttigieg showed how candidates across the political spectrum can make partisan, ethical appeals rooted in civil religion.
What’s Next
In the coming months we will be producing more case studies, hosting more online conversations, and reaching out to the media more. For immediate updates and to hear about events as they happen, follow the Project on Twitter and Facebook. You can also sign up for our newsletter on the Project website.