Moral guard rails a must – social media in political campaigning

By Kaelanne Jordan

mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org

Ahead of the April 28 general elections, Fr Matthew d’Hereaux is sharing his reflections on the ethical use of social media in political campaigning.

Fr d’Hereaux teaches Christian Social Ethics at the Seminary of St John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs.

The central question he addresses is whether social media can still be used ethically, or if it is inherently manipulative.

Fr d’Hereaux emphasised that all forms of social communication must be used with a strong sense of social responsibility. “Anything can be potentially used for good or for evil. The more powerful the means of communication, the greater the responsibility of the user,” he said.

He drew a comparison with nuclear weapons, which are safeguarded by layers of security protocols and codes. In the same way, any human activity—whether in communication or scientific fields—that has the potential for harm, must be guided by “moral guard rails.”

Fr d’Hereaux referenced that in the aftermath of Pacem in Terris by Pope John XXII, the Church has promoted human rights, one of them being free speech.

However, he warns that the Church reminds that the right to free speech should not be equated with hate speech. “We never have a right to do wrong. Hate is always wrong,” Fr d’Hereaux said.

He underscored that the Church insists that rights must never be individualistic and undermining of the common good.

“We explore and assert rights as human beings in the context of social responsibility and respect for others. ‘Human rights’ must never be separated from ‘Human duties’”, Fr d’Hereaux told The Catholic News.

He commented that unfortunately, as a civilisation, citizens have over emphasised rights, decontextualised from a moral compass and, in turn deemphasised and marginalised duties towards others.

He also observed that the balance between rights and duties and the balance between the assertion of individual rights and social responsibility is captured in the saying of an English Law Lord: “The right to swing your hand stops where my nose begins.”

According to Fr d’Hereaux, those using social media for political campaigning must be steered by an ethical framework that upholds truth and social cohesion. “They need to understand the difference between calumny, the use of falsehood to assassinate others, and detraction, the use of truth also to assassinate.”

He stressed that politics should always be inherently oriented towards the common good, and it would be “ironic” if the election process itself “causes the destruction of community cohesion.”

Fr d’Hereaux referred to Pope Francis, who, in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, calls for a “better kind of politics.” “He speaks of the need for charity in politics. In short, he calls for a paradigm shift regarding politics,” Fr d’Hereaux said.

As a human activity, political activity, like any economic activity, “must always” be morally examined and challenged to be guided by a life-giving ethic, Fr d’Hereaux underscored.

“[Pope] Francis asks that politicians treat one another as brothers and sisters, not enemies,” he said.

When asked if social media has empowered marginalised groups, particularly youth, to engage more actively in the electoral process, Fr d’Hereaux acknowledged social media has proven to be a positive tool.

He pointed out that Catholic Social Teaching (CST) values social participation in social, economic and political structures of a society.

“Campaigning and voting are dimensions of social participation. When few people participate it’s not democratic. The very nature of democracy is built on mass participation,” Fr d’Hereaux outlined.

He also noted that the concept of ‘one man, one vote’ is meant to promote respect for rational choice, intelligence, will and dignity of others.

“Women and minorities historically were not always respected in this way,” he said, adding that it is “commendable” to see more young people getting involved.

However, he stressed that these young voters should ask themselves why and how they participate. “The why of electoral politics and the how to participate in electoral politics has to be deepened. Inclusion as a value is extremely important. Quantity participation and quality participation is complimentary. When we work towards quality participation we raise the bar in the campaigning process,” Fr d’Hereaux said.

Turning to the topic of digital manipulation, Fr d’Hereaux expressed concern that social media platforms are not doing enough to curtail unethical political tactics. “It’s been difficult to manage. The horse is out of the stable; the horse has bolted. We are not doing enough to stop or minimise the dirty tactics,” he said.

Courses in Political Ethics

Fr d’Hereaux commented that just as there are courses in Business Ethics, as a maturing democracy, citizens must reach to the stage of courses in Political Ethics. “This should apply to party groups, influencers, media campaigners and candidates alike. This should be public policy,” he said.

Fr d’Hereaux further suggested that persons presenting themselves for political office “should have some basic training in ethics.” “Let’s compare. Do we place untrained nurses and doctors on a hospital ward? Clearly, no, because the human life and human flourishing must be protected by proper training for medical practitioners. The collective body, that is, an entire society must be protected from social sickness and death. A bad politician is just as dangerous to society as a bad doctor or nurse is,” Fr d’Hereaux underscored.

He affirmed that rule-based political campaigning is “absolutely necessary” in the age of social media and artificial intelligence. Policy and Law, he said, are needed to address potential abuses on the hustings.

His message to voters who are overwhelmed by the flood of information and opinions on social media during election time is based on two important principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST): human dignity and option for the poor and vulnerable.

“We should assess and examine our political options on how politicians treat with the poor and vulnerable as well as the respect for human dignity, especially their opponents. The latter is related to the tone and tenor of a campaign,” Fr d’Hereaux said.

He explained that a campaign is usually a sign of future governance. Virtue or vice shows itself during the campaign in all its forms and rears its head after assuming office.

“People’s character should matter in our political choices. Character and behaviour ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ campaign are all interconnected. How we campaign is usually a reliable sign of how we will govern,” he underscored.

He continued, “If we tell untruths and degrade while we campaign, we will do it in office. That’s human nature. We must always consider this when casting our vote. Manifestos are on paper; governance comes out of the heart.”