From Strategic Communication to Public Ethics

Prophetic Honesty in Contemporary Moral Discourse

Abstract

Contemporary public communication is increasingly dominated by strategic communication approaches that emphasize message effectiveness, image management, and the achievement of pragmatic goals. While functional, such orientations often marginalize ethical considerations, reducing honesty to a situational instrument rather than a moral principle. This article aims to examine prophetic honesty as an alternative ethical foundation for public communication within contemporary moral discourse. Employing a qualitative document-based approach, this study analyzes relevant academic literature on strategic communication, public ethics, and prophetic values. The data are examined using thematic analysis to identify normative patterns and conceptual tendencies shaping current communication practices. The findings indicate that prophetic honesty possesses strong normative potential to reorient public communication from an instrumental logic toward a more ethically grounded paradigm. Integrating prophetic honesty into strategic communication does not diminish effectiveness; instead, it strengthens moral legitimacy and public trust. This article contributes to the field of communication ethics by offering a conceptual framework that bridges strategic communication with public ethics rooted in prophetic moral values.