ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at several perspectives for analyzing the ethics of political communication. The contractualism or egalitarianism of John Rawls seems especially well suited for political communication. The chapter begins with a review of the practices of modern political communication, including those practices that seem ethically questionable. It then turns to some specific ethical issues arising from the growing importance of political consultants, lobbyists, and the use of the Internet. Because the theories of John Rawls and Jurgen Habermas seem particularly relevant to issues of political communication, they will each provide a lens for viewing and thinking about these issues. The chapter explains the distinction between the legality of political communication tactics and their ethicality. Campaign finance laws and other regulations provide a legal framework for what can and cannot be done legally in political communication, while our focus is on ethics of communication practices.
