Importance of Ethical Dialogue in Political Discourse
In the lead-up to the 2024/25 federal election, a significant gap has been identified in search results regarding the specific guidelines and requirements outlined in the fairness pact and BdKom/DPRG appeal for political communicators. Instead, the focus remains on unrelated topics such as the European Commission, international peace and security, corporate financial news, and diplomatic relations.
To provide some context, fairness pacts and appeals from organisations like BdKom (Bundesverband der Kommunikatoren) and DPRG (Deutsche Public Relations Gesellschaft) typically establish rules ensuring that during federal election campaigns, political communicators adhere to principles such as:
- Equal and fair access to media coverage and communication platforms for all political parties.
- Transparency about campaign funding and sponsorships in political advertising.
- Respect for factual accuracy and avoidance of misleading information.
- Ethical standards concerning the tone and content of political messages.
- Compliance with legal regulations on election advertising, data protection, and hate speech.
However, for the specific and up-to-date guidelines and requirements for the 2024/25 federal election campaign, including any new provisions in the fairness pact or appeals by BdKom and DPRG, you would need to consult their official statements or publications released shortly before or during the 2024/25 campaign period.
The appeal also emphasises the democratic responsibility of political communicators, as assigned by the communication code of the DPRG. With technological changes accelerating the speed and reach of information, whether true or false, it is now more important than ever to discuss the boundaries and democratic commitments of one's own work and drive a cultural shift in partisan communication.
The fairness pact and the communication code of the DPRG do not cover all needs and challenges of partisan communication. Faked AI images, the spread of misinformation, and a coarsening discourse culture are symptoms and drivers of current challenges in partisan political communication. The willingness to take responsibility, strengthen democracy, and protect public discourse is crucial in partisan communication.
The fairness pact includes provisions for digital communication, such as the identification of work with AI systems and the avoidance of deepfake technologies. Partisan communication is often carried out by career changers and has many overlaps with other fields of activity. Actors in partisan communication rarely see themselves as a cohesive professional group.
Partisan communicators are struggling more than ever for public attention, with the shift to the right in parts of society exacerbating these dynamics. The parties' fairness pact for the 2024/25 federal election campaign has been agreed upon by the CDU, CSU, SPD, Greens, FDP, and Left Party. Violations of ethical norms by PR and communication professionals can undermine the professional foundations and harm the reputation of the profession.
The appeal formulates ideal requirements for political communicators in political and campaign teams, candidates, PR professionals, journalists, and others. Partisan communicators have a democratic responsibility that goes beyond their loyalty to their party. The parties should be clearly identifiable as the senders of political messages, and the fairness pact defines guidelines for political communication, including avoiding personal insults, extremist statements, and disinformation.
- In the context of the 2024/25 federal election, the focus in search results is primarily on unrelated topics such as general news, international peace and security, and corporate financial news, rather than on the specific guidelines for responsible gambling, casino-and-gambling policy-and-legislation, or disinformation in the updated fairness pacts and appeals from BdKom and DPRG.
- The fairness pact and the communication code of the DPRG emphasize the need for political communicators to adhere to principles such as factual accuracy, ethical standards, and the avoidance of disinformation, but they do not address the issues of faked AI images, misinformation, and deepfake technologies in the digital realm.
- The alliance of the CDU, CSU, SPD, Greens, FDP, and Left Party has agreed upon a party fairness pact for the 2024/25 federal election campaign, which includes provisions for digital communication to prevent personal insults, extremist statements, and disinformation, and stresses the importance of partisan communicators taking responsibility for strengthening democracy and protecting public discourse.
