Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication: David Murray

David Murray is executive director of the Professional Speechwriters Association, and editor and publisher of Vital Speeches of the Day magazine. With Lt. Col. Mark Weber, he co-wrote the New York Times best-selling book, "Tell My Sons" (Random House), and he's the author of a memoir about his advertising copywriter parents, Raised By Mad Men. Murray’s next book, An Effort to Understand, explores “why Americans must stop shaking our heads at one another and start communicating more honestly with ourselves." It’s available for pre-order through Publishizer.  @PSAPodium

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?

"Political communication ethics." Aside from being a standalone headline in The Onion, I'd say political communication should be held to journalistic standards. But I'm afraid the best we can hope for is: As candid as socially acceptable and politically feasible. (Which, if practiced by political figures and operatives of good intention and imagination, can be pretty darned good.)

 2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?

Leaving the public interest out of it because it's too obvious--rhetorical excesses come back to bite you, and anyone playing the long game in politics ought to play as straight as possible for their own sustained self-preservation.

  3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

In political communication, people are judged not by the nuance of their individual statements as much as: By what they always do, and by what they never do, over time. People who maintain their credibility in political communication always maintain a tone of civility, they always speak with a sense of responsibility, they always stick to their areas of expertise. They never pile on gratuitously, they never speak just to get camera time, and they never lie.

 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?

In speechwriting, the central challenge isn't usually ethics. It's courage. The courage to be compelling, to advance a bold idea or to say something familiar in a fresh way. To show one's humanity, and to connect.

 5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

Try to work for political leaders who use words aggressively, not defensively: To bring people together and stir their imaginations, to clarify the complex, to inspire constructive action. Rather than to confuse perceptions of reality, repulse investigations, to fog up the lens.

Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication: Max Burns

Max Burns is a Democratic media strategist and opinion columnist for The Independent with over a decade of advocacy and nonprofit communications experience. He regularly appears as a news analyst on Fox News, CNN and i24 News. For his work Burns was named a 2019 Public Relations Society of America/PRSA-NY Exceptional Communicators Under 35. @themaxburns

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?

Anyone practicing political communication must be loyal to the truth. In this field, lying is not only the quickest way to destroy a professional reputation, it undermines the very goal of political communication: generating better policy outcomes through issue advocacy. There are few other lines of work where deception so directly harms the culture as a whole.

Our society once invested institutions like the press with public trust to accurately present reality to us – but with that social contract breaking down, it’s on practitioners to avoid further damage to a weakened system. As media institutions continue to bleed public trust, we face a future without consensus symbols of public integrity or truth. Self-policing our field has become even more important in a time when established trust institutions are in decline.  

 2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?

There is, or should be, an understanding among political communicators that we have chosen to take part in a tradition that not only spans nations and cultures, but that through its exercise created those very concepts. Politics and policy, at core, are about making better the lives of many people. They are powerful tools that are too often misused, with the sole result being a great many people harmed because a few individuals manipulated this trunk line of public life for selfish ends.

Unethical communication is a vicious cycle that corrupts everything it touches. No sooner has one group broken the norms of truthfulness in pursuit of their goal than an opposed group, emboldened by the success of that initial deception, pushes the envelope further to balance the scales. It’s this nasty back-and-forth that leads us to a society where “alternative facts” and “post-truth” are unironic phrases.

3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

Our field is filled with good people who commit themselves to honesty and maintain that commitment in their careers and lives. What’s so tragic is that unethical communicators have become so dominant at the top of our political life. The higher profile of their deceptions drowns out political communicators of every political persuasion. It makes the job of persuading and informing the public that much harder for honest communicators when you have very visible individuals gleefully undermining the core principles of our profession.

I take great inspiration from the criminal justice and LGBTQI advocacy organizations in the United States and abroad. They don’t have the luxury of lies – their survival against abuse, imprisonment and murder depends on the full truth being shared as broadly and as effectively as possible. They use the truth as a shield in service of justice. Do more of that.

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?

The constant ethics-check situation comes when you’re deciding whether or not to omit information that hasn’t been specifically requested. Normally, this will come when a reporter is searching for something, but either doesn’t know what specifically to ask for, or is unsure how to ask. If what they’re looking for weakens your client, do you get pedantic and justify your omission by saying ‘Well, they didn’t ask specifically…”? In a media environment where dogged journalists have more resources than ever for uncovering information, I tend to err on the side of transparency.

5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

If your goal is to become a television pundit commenting on politics, study broadcasting. I’ve worked with many people whose primary goal was to land on television or sign a contributor contract, and they treat the actual work of political advocacy as a vehicle to get there. That’s not fair to the people who depend on you, and it undermines the seriousness of the task we’ve set for ourselves as voices for those who often lack the resources to engage with the political process on their own.

Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication: Bill Dauster

Bill Dauster worked for more than 30 years on Senate, White House, and campaign staffs, including as deputy chief of staff for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and deputy director of the National Economic Council in the Clinton Administration.  @Bill_Dauster

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?

Too many people seem to think that the standards for political communication can somehow differ from the standards for how they live their lives elsewhere.  Maybe it’s because real power is at stake. Or maybe it’s because folks see others getting away with — or even gaining advantage from — bad behavior. But there’s no defensible reason to hold political communication to any lower standard.  And there’s every reason to hold it to at least as high an ethical standard as anything else in life. After all, we need good political communication to make our democracy work. Most of the people whom I’ve met in politics and government really do want to make the country a better place.  What we say should be grounded in that desire. In the end, don’t we want to aspire to so live our lives that the sum of our actions leaves the world a better place because of our having been here?

2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?

First: It’s nearly impossible to repair your reputation if you damage it.

Second: Political communication can have real-life consequences for real people.  When you get the point in your life when know someone whom a public figure has unfairly maligned, you learn how powerful and dangerous careless words can be.

Third: When you look back at your career, you’ll want to be able to do so without embarrassment.  And that career, even if decades long, can end a lot quicker than you might think.

3 ) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

I admire folks who say what they believe, even if it doesn’t serve their short-term interests.  In 1995, the House of Representatives passed a Constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget, and Senator Mark Hatfield came under enormous pressure to support it.  But Senator Hatfield called it a “budget gimmick” and voted against it, the only Republican in the Senate to do so, and his vote determined the outcome. I wish that there were more people like Mark Hatfield.

Participating in White House economic meetings in the Clinton Administration also allowed me to see another true professional, Press Secretary Joe Lockhart, doing his job.  What the public and press will not have seen is that he would often sit in on White House policy discussions to learn the issues. His example counsels: Do the homework to know what you’re talking about and get it right.

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?

In the course of a career, it may well happen that your boss or client takes a position on an important matter with which you disagree.  Too many folks feel — or are made to feel — that they need to suck it up and represent that position. If the matter is important enough, it ought to be important enough to find another job.  But short of that, too many of us think that we’re indispensable. It’s an old saying that the graveyards are full of indispensable people. There will probably be others who are willing to represent the client on the matter in question, and one should have the strength to step aside and let someone else handle it, even if the client’s esteem then rises for that other person and falls for you.  When you look back on your life, your opinion of yourself will be more important.

5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

Don’t do a job just for the money.  One can live well enough and keep one’s self-respect at the same time.

A career is a short time.  Try to live each day as if your career would be judged on what you did that day. Because the day will inevitably come when you’ll be doing the things on which your career will be judged.

Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication: Frank Maisano

Frank Maisano co-founded the Strategic Communication practice at Bracewell, where he is a senior principal. Maisano has more than two decades of experience in strategic political communication, including serving in senior positions for a number of Republican members of Congress. @fvmaisano

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded? 

Political communications must be held to a very high standard. Especially in today's world – with ever-expanding  prominence of social media and the highly charged political nature of our debate – we tend to let people get away with commentary that may not be quite up to the level of truth-telling and credibility that are necessary. Ethical standards are essential if we want to conduct a meaningful political discussions. So many times today, partisan lines impact our personal ability to connect with people who may disagree with us.  As these differences become larger, we continue to see a significant slide in our ability to conduct common sense political discourse. In the end, this hurts our overall political system.  Political Communications must be grounded in respect for others and as well as common understanding of reasonable facts.

 2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?

Much of everything we do is about reputation and credibility.  This is the most important reason to conduct any communications outreach, campaigns or effort in an ethical manner.  Our reputation and credibility is something that may take years and years to develop, yet can be gone in an instant because of unnecessary risks and unethical communications behavior. As a person who has spent 30 years building a reputation as a credible resource for political, policy and media sources, I find it nearly impossible that I would risk all that hard work for a short-term gain that would be perceived as unethical or even borderline questionable.  Overall, it is about your professional demeanor and how you want to be perceived by those who you seek to influence.

3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

I don't think I would be out of line to say we're not seeing much of it today.  The President often says what he wants with our much regard while his opponents – including some in the news media – are equally guilty. What has been created is an environment where neither side trusts the other.   

While the military often is challenged over its political communications, I often like to point to General Dunsmore and the way he dealt with the crisis in Niger as an current example that both was credible and respected by all parties.  He also conveyed his messages effectively.  Other than that, I yearn for the years long past, whether it be the Lincoln-Douglas debates of the Civil War era or the challenges and differences faced by Madison and Hamilton as they hammered out the function of our government.  While those political communications were often effective and reasonable, they still had their dark sides as history shows.

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?

As an industry spokesman, your credibility and integrity is often challenged by activists attempting to undermine you and your message.  I have found that it Is best to maintain a strong sense of self, a high  standard of respect and decency and offer only credible, verifiable truths.  Many times it is about offering a bigger, broader picture view of any individual issue that may seem different if defined narrowly.   

5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

Tell the truth.  Feel free to position the story in terms favorable to your side or in the best light, but in the end, you need to tell the truth.  We know when we are stretching it – and in the end – it is never worth the reputation and credibility risk.

Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication - Susan Nold

Susan Turner Nold, J.D. is the Director of Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies in the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin.  Nold has previously held positions as a General Counsel for a Texas State Senator, an attorney for a national law firm, and worked as a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. @Susannold

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?

Political communication done right should advance ethical, effective, and impactful citizenship and an aspirational vision for democracy – one where all citizens are informed and constructively engaged.  I believe that political communication provides great opportunity and bears much responsibility for this goal.

2) Why should someone behave ethically when it comes to political communication?

Behaving ethically in any situation represents one’s choice to live a life of honor and service to god, country, community, their employer, family, and fellow man.  Lying, half-truths, misrepresentation, bigotry, hate-speech, and the many other forms of unethical political communication can harm others in consequential, even catastrophic ways.  If practitioners of political communication consider this more routinely, this field can bring about greater awareness among everyone about the potential impact of our words.  That would be progress.

3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

My examples are not the kind that make news or that are usually seen by the public.  Much political communication comes about as the result of a team and decisions made by people who are planning out a course of action.  When a member of the team voices a point of view or raises a concern, we can influence one another, and when needed, protect one another from perhaps some of our worst human instincts.  Therefore, being part of teams who value different perspectives and points of view is important. 

Also, when one’s work does not involve the benefits of a team, political communicators should be thoughtful, diligent, and conscientious. In my previous work as a legislative aide for an elected official, I drafted documents all of the time -- correspondence, talking points, policy summaries and briefs.  Doing that well means spending a lot of time talking with experts, asking questions, fact-checking, rechecking, and double-checking.  Working in support of an effective and respected legislator is very rewarding and upholding a high standard for ethics in political communication is an essential part of effective and honorable public service.  Many individuals must be capable and committed to this for our system of government to work because so much of it relies on trust.  If we abandon or lose sight of this, corruption, gridlock, dysfunction, distrust, cynicism and apathy will result.

4) Can you give an example of an ethical challenge or question you have faced or that political communication professionals in your field are likely to face?

In my current work leading a university institute, we support several civic education programs.  One is a bipartisan 3-day campaign bootcamp where college students are taught the fundamental components of a campaign and use their knowledge to take part in a campaign simulation exercise.  The sessions are taught by active political professionals – Republicans and Democrats – most of whom have spent their careers working in campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels.  At times, we recognize that tactics that may be effective for winning a campaign, can be unethical.  We also recognize that campaign strategies, driven mostly by the time and financial constraints of campaigns, are ethical but not necessarily in the best interest of democracy more broadly.  We unequivocally disavow unethical tactics but highlighting these issues can be constructive and educational.  As these issues come up, or as questions arise, it is good for presenters to point them out and encourage discussion about them.  This is beneficial for the students and the instructors.  It’s never a bad thing for more of us to practice contemplating the ethical implications of our actions. 

5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

I would advise people in any field to become more aware of situations that raise ethical implications.  Failing to recognize an ethical issue or its potential, is an ethical problem itself.  I would also encourage us not to fear or distance ourselves from ethical dilemmas.  I once taught students a class on campaign law and ethics and a student approached me after class discouraged and deterred by how many legal and ethical issues were involved in politics and campaigns.  He shared that as a pre-med student, he preferred to stick to medicine where there were not as many ethical issues, which of course, I found funny.  Surely, he will eventually take medical ethics. The final advice I give my students, is to work for, and associate with people who are ethical.  Do your best to avoid working for people who you know to be unethical.  That would be a difficult and unhappy place to work.

Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication: Danny Hajjar

Danny Hajjar is a Senior Account Executive with M+R, working on communications and advocacy campaigns for progressive nonprofits focusing on immigration, climate change, and gender equality. Danny previously worked with the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy on international policy and programming.

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?

Ethical communication should really be grounded in transparency and honesty toward your respective constituencies. We as a consumer of messaging and information should really expect our elected officials, political and community leaders, and other voices in this space to provide an honest picture of themselves, their platforms, their campaigns, etc. We understand that certain facts or issue areas will be spun to present individuals in the best possible light – or even to make the case against another individual or policy. But we should also expect political communication to be grounded in a truth that does not disregard factual evidence. We should not expect to be lied to, which is a bar so low these days that somehow is not even being met by our own federal government. We have to expect those that have power are willing to use it for good and are willing to own the truth, whether it’s in their favor or not. So that also means a standard of quickly owning up to mistakes or lies versus continuing to perpetuate falsehoods.

2) Why should someone behave ethically when it comes to political communication?

Quite frankly, someone in political communication must behave ethically because they have a moral and political responsibility to do so. There is a reason why, to this day, we fault Bill Clinton for lying about his extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky. There is a reason why, to this day, we hold the George W. Bush administration (and to some extent the news media) accountable for lying about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and leading the U.S. into a war that was not rooted in factual evidence. Choosing to be ethical or unethical can literally shape the course of history – it can present constituents with an idea of how one should act should they seek any form of political leadership. Those who choose to hold office or pursue leadership in any manner have an obligation to their constituencies to set an example of ownership of the truth.

3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

The late Senator John McCain had one of his signature moments of his career happen in 2008 during his presidential campaign. It’s been talked about ad nauseum but is still a shining example of how to be ethically and morally responsible on the campaign trail. During a townhall in Lakeville, Minnesota, a voter took the microphone to ask Senator McCain a question. Instead, it turned into a long ramble that led to the voter calling then candidate Obama “an Arab” and saying because of that, she couldn’t trust him. Senator McCain quickly took the microphone away from her and said “No, ma’am,” he said. “He’s a decent family man [and] citizen that just I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what the campaign’s all about.” Now, there were other moments during the campaign that were ethically questionable on Senator McCain’s part, like the TV ads linking Obama to Bill Ayers. And even now some question whether or not this particular response in Minnesota was sincere (i.e. why would it be so bad if Obama was Arab?). I personally don’t believe McCain meant to disparage Arabs, but rather show some decency and respect toward Obama, all while being transparent and educating his voters about what his campaign was all about. This civility is severely lacking in the public sphere, and something that we can all point to and say “do more of that.”

4) Can you give an example of an ethical challenge or question you have faced or that political communication professionals in your field are likely to face? 

As someone who works on communication and advocacy campaigns for progressive nonprofits, we always ask ourselves whether or not our framing or our messaging is one that is truly rooted in factual evidence and honesty or if it’s just spin that demeans President Trump for political gain. Our clients are typically left-leaning and work on issues that have been directly impacted by the current administration. But even our clients sometimes remind us that there are actually policies that Republicans enact or policies that have genuine bipartisan support that we should really tout and leverage (versus spinning that to media in a way that undermines Conservatives). And there are plenty of times where we also realize that Democrats do not have the right idea or the best interest at heart – are we honest with ourselves and with our clients during those times? Those are challenges we have to think about, especially in this hyper partisan time.

5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

Own the truth. Whether the truth puts you on a pedestal or shines a light on your faults, it’s important to embrace it and learn from it. No one person is above moral responsibility, particularly when constituencies count on you to be transparent and honest. Study those who aren’t as ethical, they are the ones that teach you the most. I urge people to study the messaging and framing behind Iran-Contra, or to study the Flint water crisis. There are countless examples of unethical political communication that for some reason we as a society and as a country have not fully learned from. And I would highly recommend looking at media coverage around those instances. As a public relations professional, I look for media framing of a situation because, more often than not, they will search for the truth and conduct extensive reporting. They will uncover trails that show unethical behavior – just ask President Trump. The Mueller Report vindicated much of the reporting done by The New York Times and The Washington Post. They saw President Trump’s behavior and reported on it accurately. Ultimately, it never ends well for leader who are not transparent and honest.

Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication: Prof. Mack Mariani

Professor Mack Mariani is the Chair of the Political Science Department at Xavier University. @MackMariani

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?

Political communication ethics should be grounded in the truth.  Tell the truth.  Show your work.

Political communication ethics should also treat human beings with dignity and avoid language that is likely to unfairly damage the reputation of others or cause harm to individuals or groups of people.

2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?

For one thing, behaving ethically is in your self-interest.  The political communication business is fundamentally about persuasion: persuading people to see things in a certain way, or support a certain person or policy.  Unethical behavior undermines the profession by making everyone who takes in your messages (the public, the news media, other political figures) immediately discount the messages that you are conveying as spin.

3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

When I was working as a legislative aide, we had an opportunity to personalize a policy disagreement about an airport contract (the opposing legislator had a family member who owned a business in the airport).  The legislator I worked with made the choice to frame our messages around the merits of the disagreement and rejected suggestions from others who wanted to frame the message around an alleged conflict of interest on the party of the opposition.

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?

The biggest ethical challenge these days, I think, is partisanship.  On a day to day basis, political communications professionals are asked to craft and project messages that undermine the opposing party and build up the party that they represent.  Although the short-term goals are often justifiable (stopping a measure that you think is a mistake, limiting the ability of the leadership on the other side to make changes that you think would be bad for the country), the cumulative effect of partisan attack politics is to undermine the ability of the system to work at all and undermine the faith that people have in politics to accomplish anything worthwhile. 

5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

If you are working with the news media (or as a member of the news media), your credibility is everything.  If you give away your credibility for short-term advantage, you will pay for it in the long run.

Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication: David Mark

David Mark is a deputy news editor at the Washington Examiner. Previously, he served as a senior editor at Politico for six years and at CNN Digital Politics, among other roles. He is author of two books, one on negative campaigning and one on political language co-authored with Chuck McCutcheon. @DavidMarkDC

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?
Donald Trump's election in November 2016, beginning with his rise down the gold-plated Trump Tower escalator a-year-and-a-half earlier, has scrambled traditional notion of "ethics" and politics and communications. His election demonstrated that voters don't always choose who has the best position paper on an important public policy issue, or who talks in logic-based soundbites. His election was about emotion as much as reason, and going forward it's going to (hopefully) force those in the campaign community to draw bright lines they won't cross. Including disseminating false or highly-misleading information.

2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?

As the saying goes, all we have is our reputations. What people think about you will last much longer than a two-year House term, four-year gubernatorial stint or six-year Senate tenure you helped get your boss elected to -- same goes for down-ballot races, as well. A campaigner’s goal should be to fight as hard as possible for their candidate or cause not only within the bounds of the law, strictly speaking, but what normal, reasonable people would consider ethical behavior. Much of that is common sense.

3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

White House briefings before January 2017. The White House press secretary, lead spokesperson for the president of the United States, would on a daily, or near-daily basis, describe and detail their administration's agenda to reporters. This was admittedly slanted, biased and incomplete -- but each press secretary made sure to have their facts straight. That included Republican and Democratic press secretaries. That has changed under the current administration when press secretaries have been forced to admit -- in some cases under oath by prosecutors -- that they've disseminated false information.

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?

Journalists face this frequently when spoon-fed negative information -- also known as opposition research -- about an officeholder or candidate. Reporters and editors must evaluate the motivations for getting leaked that information, and whether or not that should have a bearing on its veracity. After all, just because the information comes from a source hostile to the subject matter doesn't render it false or unusable. It's a case-by-case basis call.

5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

Know your bottom-line principles. What are you willing to lose your job over? Or take some sort of other career setback? For press secretaries, it's often being told to lie to journalists. For reporters, it's knowingly printing false information. Much of ethics in politics is common sense. If you have doubts about the proposed action, probably best not to do it.

Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication: Laura Gross

Laura Gross is the President of Scott Circle Communications. She is an award-winning public relations expert with over 20 years of experience in communications and media relations. Her past experience includes work with The White House, U.S. Agency for International Development, NPR, Gov. Howard Dean and several presidential campaigns. @lgross

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?

Political communicators need to be straight forward and truthful with very high ethical standards. Period, end of statement. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to talk about things that are not politically advantageous or do not sound good on the record - and that’s always challenging, but it’s never a reason to lie. Ultimately, political communication ethics must be grounded in the truth.

2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?

How can we trust our government, elected officials and politicians to represent us if the people that are communicating with us are lying? They need to be ethical – not just because it’s the right thing to do, but it’s how they gain trust from their constituents and ethically govern our country.

 3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

I have to be honest – I struggled with this question. There is not much to point to these days. However, I think Congressman Justin Amash (R-Mich.) is doing the right thing by going against his party and calling for Trump’s impeachment when most (if not all) of his fellow Republican members of Congress are not calling for an investigation because it is not politically advantageous for them.

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?

I supervise a wonderful team of public relations professionals at a firm that is focused on organizations that really want to make a difference, such as non-profits and associations. We hire people that are passionate about issues and passionate about helping others. Not very often – but, every once in a while - our team needs to promote something they don’t personally agree with – legislation, court decisions, etc. Even if they don’t fully agree with a particular position/issue – they know that it is their job to get a particular message to an audience that may be interested in that topic. 

5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

“It’s not the lie, it’s the cover-up.” OK, so that’s an extreme. But, seriously – do you want to work with anyone that doesn’t have a high set of values and ethics? It won’t always be easy though – unfortunately, there are still people with low ethics that just want to promote themselves and what’s best for them instead of the greater cause. Try to stay away from those people and forge your own path.

Five Questions about Ethics in Political Communication: David Cohen

David Cohen is an elected school board member for the Cheltenham School District outside of Philadelphia and an appointed board member of the Montgomery County PA Planning Commission. @dlcohenone

1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?

Political communication should be held to a very high standard and should be grounded in truth. While citizens, communication professionals, candidates, and officeholders should seek to make a case for and advance their causes, they should not do so in a way that lies or seeks to disparage others. Political communications should be centered on facts and honesty. Words and context matter.

2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?

To be honest to one’s self, to citizens, and to democratic institutions. The institutions where elected officials serve to represent citizens are more important than any candidate or officeholder and will remain in place long after the candidate or officeholder has left the scene. The actions of candidates and officeholders can strengthen or weaken government and how people view government. Underlying goals of elected officials should be to identify, define and advance goals that improve society and those that they serve, and to seek to accomplish them in a way that listens to people with different views and engage them in developing solutions when possible.

3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”

President Eisenhower’s military-industrial complex speech, where in his farewell speech the retired five-star Army general, spoke honestly and warned of the growing dominant role the military-industrial complex had in the United States.

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?

As a school board member, one of the challenges is knowing when and how to raise or respond to issues. For context, there are several underlying issues in play. Individual board members do not speak for the entire board and their individual views that have not been adopted as policy do not represent the entire school district. A school board has limited areas for which they are responsible, such as approving a budget, adopting policies, and assessing student achievement and superintendents. School board members need to respect matters that are discussed in confidence and not share that information with others.

A key issue that I face is explaining to citizens and parents that school board members are not involved in the daily operations of schools, and not communicating or acting otherwise. Another issue is recognizing the importance of the state sunshine law under which our school board operates, which allows school boards to only discuss certain issues like legal matters or collective bargaining in closed-door executive sessions. A third issue is working to improve communications from our school district to the community in a manner that balances the goals of providing accurate information and advocating for the school district, while encouraging civic engagement.

5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?

Communications and ethics have gotten much more complex and difficult with social media and the associated immediacy they facilitate, demand and dictate for responses, as well as the misinformation, lies, and speculation people often posit on social media posts and comments regarding politics or government. As noted by Marshall McLuhan long ago, “the medium is the message.” Due to the nature of social media and people pushing agendas or trying to score points, responding to social media posts as a local elected official on a hot button issue can be a losing proposition. I am hopeful that people younger and smarter than me will favorably resolve many of the negative aspects of political communications on social media.