National Communication Association Marks 100th Anniversary With Reaffirmation of Ethical Credos
Washington, DC - The National Communication Association (NCA), the association representing thousands of the nation’s Communication scholars and teachers, will celebrate its 100th anniversary this coming November in Chicago. As has been true at many times throughout its first century, NCA will convene its members at a time when pressing global tensions are rising. And so, as it has always done, and as it will always do, NCA calls upon its members to help their students and the larger citizenry make sense of the pressing issues of the day through open debate, dialogue, and discussion.
NCA’s free speech–related principles are clearly articulated in its three ethical credos.
- The Credo for Free and Responsible Communication in a Democratic Society “support[s] the proposition that a free society can absorb with equanimity speech which exceeds the boundaries of generally accepted beliefs and mores; that much good and little harm can ensue if we err on the side of freedom, whereas much harm and little good may follow if we err on the side of suppression.” To view the full Credo, see http://www.natcom.org/democraticsociety.
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The Credo for Free and Responsible Use of Electronic Communication Networks supports “freedom of expression and condemn[s] attempts to constrain information processing or electronic communication, especially expressions that are offensive to some or even most of the populace.” To view the full Credo, see http://www.natcom.org/electronicnetworks.
- Among the principles enumerated in the Credo for Ethical Communication are endorsement of “freedom of expression, diversity of perspective, and tolerance of dissent to achieve the informed and responsible decision making fundamental to a civil society” and condemnation of “communication that degrades individuals and humanity through distortion, intimidation, coercion, and violence, and through the expression of intolerance and hatred.” To view the full Credo, see http://www.natcom.org/ncacredo.
As an organization committed to the teaching, research, and other professional activities that fuel best communication practices regardless of political ideology, NCA will in its next 100 years continue to do what it has always done: support anyone engaged in the fair and ethical debate that makes democracy possible.
The National Communication Association (NCA) advances Communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. NCA serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems. NCA supports inclusiveness and diversity among our faculties, within our membership, in the workplace, and in the classroom; NCA supports and promotes policies that fairly encourage this diversity and inclusion.
For more information, visit natcom.org, follow us on Twitter at @natcomm, and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NationalCommunicationAssociation.