Ethics Series — The Ethics of Political Spin

Democratic politics is competitive: there is a constant communication battle to cast issues into the most favourable light according to your beliefs or your party. Edward Bernays, the father of modern public relations described his profession as “the engineering of public consent.” Today, we call it “political spin,” and governments, parties and private sector companies employ a plethora of professionals to advance their communication priorities.

But when does spin become dangerous? When does exaggeration veer into lying? (The fact Checker of the Washington Post reported that in the course of his presidency Donald Trump uttered over 32,000 falsehoods or 21 lies a day.) How should journalists and the broader public react to spin? What can be done if the truth is totally discarded as a virtue – which occurred with Trump and Boris Johnson?

Explore this critical topic with our esteemed panel:

• David Sloly – Political Analyst and Fundraising, IT and Int'l Dev Project Manager
• Peter Biro – Lawyer, Political Theorist, and Founder of Section 1
• Esther Enkin – Journalist and Former Ombudsperson for CBC English
• Tom Axworthy – Moderator (Massey Public Policy Chair)

Agenda

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