The values we share: towards an inclusive ethics of dialogic communication

Digital media offer significant opportunities for dialogue and participation in democratic processes, but they also foster dysfunctional communication patterns such as hate speech and disinformation. While journalism ethics increasingly addresses these challenges, defining “good communication conduct” beyond professional contexts remains difficult. This paper examines the role of dialogic communication in ethical codes and guidelines across various forms of public communication. A comparative study of eight European countries (Austria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Switzerland) analyses 429 documents from a wide range of national and international institutions. The content analysis, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, reveals that most codes focus on journalism, whereas only few address the needs of media users. However, the study identifies good-practice examples that prioritise different aspects related to dialogue and participation, offering insights into principles of an inclusive ethics of dialogic communication. The findings contribute to the academic discourse on communication ethics in the digital age and provide guidance for media practitioners and policymakers.