The Ethical Challenges of Fake News and Misinformation in Digital Political Communication

This paper examines the ethical dilemmas associated with fake news and disinformation, specifically in relation to digital communications related to politics. It presents ways that political disinformation has perverted the ability of the populace to understand political issues, decreased the ability of the public to participate in democratic processes, created distrust of the media and generally affected the quality of communication with the public. In this context, misinformation is not only a technical issue, but it is also an ethical issue; it deceives citizens, increases the level of polarization among citizens and ultimately destroys the confidence that citizens have in journalism. The paper maintains that media ethics principles such as truth, social responsibility, prevention of harm and accountability are applicable to this issue. The authors also provide recommendations for how responsible digital political communication requires stronger fact-checking, increased accountability on the part of platforms, improved media literacy and more responsible sharing behavior by users. The authors conclude that a balance between free expression, truth, social responsibility and the public interest must guide digital communication.