| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立高雄大學 === 政治法律學系碩士班 === 104 === Abstract
The purpose of this study is to probe into the relationship between journalists and political figures. The focus is placed on, in addition to the interdependently close relationship between them, how they should adhere to the ethics imposed on their respective professions and properly execute the duties inherent to their professions. In terms of duties, the media represents the fourth estate, in which capacity journalists supervise the government and political figures, and in order to make known their achievements in the public domain and their voices for people, political figures must depend on the media as the quickest and most effective means of propagation. Therefore, journalists and political figures are closely related.
From ancient times to the present, ideal and reality have been going on their struggle against each other; they rarely can coexist harmoniously. Nearly a century ago, German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920), in his Politics As a Vocation, presented his incisive and accurate description of the personality attributes of political figures and journalist and issues on intellectual and political ethics. Nearly one hundred years have passed since the publication of this discourse, but it still stands the test of time. Many representative phrases contained in this classical work are still admonishing powerful political figures about their obligations and urging them to adhere to ethical values and their conscience, to resist the omnipresent temptation of power and money when they are politically powerful enough to banter devils.
Weber further connects his thoughts to a world truth, that is, any ethical code of the world cannot remain distant from a fact: the purpose of “goodness”.
This study thoroughly discusses the relationships between journalists and political figures in the domain of their occupational ethics. Moreover, the author, by drawing on her workplace experience of nearly 30 years in dealing with political figures and referring to Weber’s penetrating words, tries to call out the political ethics of powerful and influential figures who are actually at the helms of Taiwan politics so that they can lead Taiwanese people towards a correct destination.
Keywords: journalist, political figure, Max Weber, occupational ethics, political ethics, journalistic ethics
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