The Role of Public Communications in Restoring Civility, the Common Good 

Linda LeMura, president of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., a peer Jesuit institution with whom SCS has partnered in the past, offered a challenging reflection this week about the crisis of incivility in the public square. Her article in America Magazine, “St. Ignatius has a lesson for politicians: Words and deeds (and nasty tweets) have consequences,” focuses on the prevalence of mean-spirited, truth-less attacks made by public figures on social media that are “inaccurate in its particulars and troubling in its source, an attack that serves no purpose but to heighten the incivility so sadly evident in our public discourse.” Rather than passively accepting this kind of communication in our society, LeMura offers a path forward for Jesuit-inspired education grounded in the wisdom of St. Ignatius of Loyola. 

LeMura points to the guidance that Ignatius offered his fellow Jesuits in the 16th century about how to engage in true and meaningful dialogue within the context of a public setting filled with conflict and disagreement. LeMura summarizes Ignatius’ guidance in this way: 

“St. Ignatius seems to have anticipated the modern era, in which the art of conversation has been replaced by the warfare of the tweet, back in 1546. In a letter to his followers attending the Council of Trent, he instructed them on the art of dialogue. He reminded them to ‘be considerate and kind’ and said that when stakes and emotions are high, they should work to be ‘free of prejudice’ and to understand ‘the meanings, learnings, and wishes of those who speak.’”

The relevance of this Ignatian wisdom for today’s toxic communications culture among public officials, according to LeMura, is the opportunity to cultivate responsible leadership not only in our students but in the faculty and staff that run our Jesuit institutions. We can all participate in this work of fostering a culture of civil communications. A critical first step in this process is a recognition that “every word and deed, be it from the lectern, podium, pulpit, or stage – or cellphone – has weight and consequence. A real leader wields powers with the gravitas it deserves, acutely mindful of the potential to do harm or great good.”  

SCS marketing and communications degree programs have taken up this leadership challenge by educating students to become ethical professional communicators striving to produce content that contributes truth, accountability, and justice to public life. This is evident, for example, in the Master of Professional Studies in Journalism which, “grounded in ethics,” emphasizes the “guiding principles that are inherent to journalism excellence – including accurate and fair reporting, accountability, and sound judgment.” An important way that SCS academic programs, like Journalism, realize this commitment to ethics and the common good is through public conversations intended to spark deeper reflection and action about pressing challenges facing society.

This upcoming event during Black History Month, sponsored by SCS and the Washington Association of Black Journalists, will feature leading Black journalists discussing press coverage of the American presidency. Events like these advance Georgetown’s commitment to fostering understanding and civility in public life, which is being challenged by the spread of misinformation and mean-spiritedness. 

An upcoming example of this commitment is an event hosted by SCS on February 16: “Covering the President During a Time of Great Societal Change.” A collaboration between the Washington Association of Black Journalists, the SCS Master of Professional Studies in Journalism program and the Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion Council (DEBIC), the event features leading Black reporters who cover the White House and increase public understanding about a broad range of issues affecting the presidency and the country as a whole. 

In the context of disinformation and incivility among public officials, the kind that LeMura lamented in her article, the February 16 discussion promises to offer important insights about the critical role that Black journalists play in holding public officials accountable for policies that uphold the common good of all. I hope that the discussion inspires greater awareness about how ethically grounded journalism can advance justice and the common good, helping realize the promise of an education rooted in the Jesuit tradition.