Ethical engagement, Responsibility and Strategic communication in the Digital Era: practitioners’ approaches

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Published: 01-01-2021
Accepted: 09-12-2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7195/ri14.v19i1.1621
Keywords:
Ethical engagement, responsibility, accountable, accountable communication, strategic communication, practitioners in communication, security threat
Supporting Agencies
Co-funded by the Erasmus Programme of the European Union- 2018-1-RO01-KA202-049449
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Teodor Mihaela
(RO)
MVNIA
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1421-8612 (unauthenticated)
Irena Chiru
(RO)
National Intelligence Academy: Bucharest, RO
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4202-4209 (unauthenticated)
Cristina Ivan
(RO)
University of Bucharest image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2624-5009 (unauthenticated)
Ileana Surdu
(RO)
National Intelligence Academy-MVNIA, Romania
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7994-7800 (unauthenticated)

Abstract

Digital communication channels can be subject to exploitation, resulting in harming individuals or societies by promoting fake news, disinformation, radicalization, or social polarization. It is important that communicators are well prepared in identifying, preventing, and responding to such actions, in understanding the vulnerabilities of their audience, while respecting the rights and liberties of the population. Thus, ethical and strategic communication should be of top priority for institutional communicators, academia, journalists, or stakeholders when addressing security or sensitive issues.


The article presents the results of an empirical sociological study, part of an extensive exploratory research within the CRESCEnt project, aiming at identifying elements of enhancing critical thinking, responsible communication and accountable behaviour. Three European states were targeted by the study: Romania, Spain and Greece, while 28 practitioners in communication, intelligence and security and law enforcement contributed to the research with significant input on topics related to ethical, successful, and strategic communication characteristics.


Ethical communication implies acting by ethical principles, like being truthful, accurate, and well-intentioned. Responsibility is the central element of ethical engagement when informing the public. Effective messages are characterized by clearness, validity of information, novelty and presented in real time.


Different types of authorities come into action for the communicators, such as the journalism code of practice, European values, or possible negative social impact.

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Article Details

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2021): Digital Communication and Hybrid Threats

Section

Monograph

Author Biographies

Teodor Mihaela, MVNIA

Mihaela Teodor is senior researcher in security studies (MVNIA 2014), where she develops and implements research activities and has management responsibilities as Editor in Chief of the Romanian Intelligence Studies Review. Mrs. Teodor’s area of expertise is in European and Romanian contemporary history (UAIC RO 2003) and European integration and security studies (UAIC RO 2005), and she holds a PhD in History (UAIC RO 2011). She has been part of several research projects with European and national funding, where she has worked as an expert or researcher (CRESCEnt – ERASMUS+, CITY COP – H2020, GRAVITAS, ESSENTIAL – H2020).

Irena Chiru, National Intelligence Academy: Bucharest, RO

Irena Chiru is a professor of intelligence studies at “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy Romania and the chair of the International Association for Intelligence Education – European Chapter. In the last 20 years, she has taught more than 200 scientific seminars and colloquia and given more than 30 educational talks on strategic communication and its impact on intelligence organizations. She has also coordinated research teams involved in research projects dedicated to security and intelligence (CITY COP – H2020, CARISMAND – H2020, ESSENTIAL – EJD, CRESCEnt – ERASMUS+, ARMOUR – DIGI Home.).

Cristina Ivan, University of Bucharest

Cristina Ivan is a researcher in security and intelligence studies. She holds a PhD in cultural studies from the University of Bucharest, where she has researched violent religious extremism in cultural productions within the British discursive space (2000-2010). Over the past 15 years she has specialized in the cultural study of violence, radicalization and terrorism, propaganda and disinformation, critical intelligence studies etc. She has taken an active part in European funded projects targeting an enhanced understanding and early detection of radicalization, propaganda, disinformation, as well as designing both preventive and countering interventions. Research projects include: A radical model of resilience for young minds - ARMOUR (2019-2021); Semantic Analysis against Foreign Fighters Recruitment Online networks – SAFFRON (2016-2018); Culture and Risk Management in Man-made and Natural Disasters, CARISMAND (2016-2018); and CRESCEnt.

Ileana Surdu, National Intelligence Academy-MVNIA, Romania

Ileana Surdu is a researcher within the “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy-MVNIA, Romania (2017) and holds a PhD in Sociology (2019, University of Bucharest-UB). She graduated various courses in the field of sociological research methods, critical thinking, and teaching techniques (Globalytica, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies-BUES, MVNIA). In the last 10 years she worked in numerous projects with European and national funding, carrying out sociological research activities. Also, she has a 7 years’ experience in teaching courses and seminars at BA level (UB, BUES).

How to Cite

Mihaela, T., Chiru, I., Ivan, C., & Surdu, I. (2021). Ethical engagement, Responsibility and Strategic communication in the Digital Era: practitioners’ approaches. Journal ICONO 14, 19(1), 155-178. https://doi.org/10.7195/ri14.v19i1.1621