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Available in all regions and languages except:

English (World)

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Listen to Heather Walters fascinating talk with Jay Howard, host of The Humanities District podcast, here.

Reviews

"The book describes communication ethics with a tremendous amount of breadth. It covers concepts in a conversational manner, but with a ton of description! It’s accessible to students and fills many holes in ethics instruction. The book covers many bases and content areas that are not included in other books I use. I also enjoyed the writing style. It flowed well and kept me interested, and I think students would agree. It’s not overly theoretical or dense; the paragraphs are short, but well researched and substantial."
Katie Place, Quinnipac University, Department of Strategic Communication

"This is an accessible text that illustrates relevant instances of ethics in/of/as communication operating in day-to-day life that students will be able to relate to. [O]ne of the things I see the book doing well is applying ethical systems and moral arguments to specific, relevant, and timely issues. This is a definite strength of the text and its material. […] I particularly appreciate that “the ethics of truth” is included as an early and foundational realm of ethical inquiry that helps to lead us into the rest of the work. [...] The overall strength of the text—in my mind—is that it clearly foregrounds ethics in communication practices, which sometimes gets lost in other texts. There are also a wide range of connections formed and viewpoints that are explored. While I think part of this is done via the clear connection to different phenomena/events, which prove as potent sites for conversation. The examples provided also allow a way for students to see the current applicability of ethical systems that they otherwise might not be able to connect to their day-to-day lives. The style is accessible and conversational, I feel like my students would easily understand the content as it is provided."
Alex Davenport, St. Cloud State University, Department of Communication Studies

"Communication Ethics: Promoting Truth, Responsibility and Civil Discourse in a Polarized Age is a textbook designed for today’s post-pandemic undergraduates who have experienced political polarization and are looking for resources for meaningful expression in a world of intense need."
John P. Ferré, University of Louisville, Department of Communication

"[The writing style] is lively and engaging, especially in those chapters in which real-world ethical situations are presented and ethical tools are presented that could help address those situations."
Ken J. Ward, Pittsburgh State University, Department of Communication

Author Biography

Heather Walters is a senior instructor in the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism, and Film at Missouri State University. She earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in both communication and K-12 educational administration from Missouri State University. Her scholarly interests are at the intersection of emerging technology, ethics, and public argument. She has taught university-level graduate and undergraduate courses in communication and media ethics for over 15 years. She is the author of Communication Ethics and coauthor of the bestselling Understanding Argument in a Post-Truth World.