New Field Guide from Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Aims to Fight Unethical Campaign Practices

Resource Offers Practical Guidance to Those Running for Election,
Helps Voters Identify Ethical Campaigns

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/ethicalcampaignmovement?src=hash” target=”_blank”gt;#ethicalcampaignmovementlt;/agt;–The 2016 presidential race was seen as one of the dirtiest in American
history and the 2020 race is not shaping up to be much better. In
response, the Markkula
Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University today announced
the launch of an ethical campaign movement with the publishing of Campaign
Ethics: A Field Guide, a non-partisan, how-to book for
candidates and political consultants on how to run an ethical campaign.

The purpose of this field guide, available
for free download, is to give tips and advice on how to run an
ethical political campaign in order to maintain the integrity of the
electoral process and the trust of the people in those who would govern.
The book covers the primary areas in which campaign leaders will likely
have to make ethical choices and provides nuts and bolts advice on how
to create an ethical campaign organization. A copy of the field guide
was delivered to every candidate in the 2020 presidential race.

“Campaign Ethics: A Field Guide offers pragmatic advice for
candidates for avoiding any ethical problems in their campaigns,” said
Tom Campbell, former five-term congressman from Silicon Valley.
“Campaigns that don’t follow the book’s clear advice will be asked by
editorial boards and voters why they haven’t.”

“The name calling and mudslinging from recent campaigns have left many
disgusted, frustrated and turned off from civic engagement,” noted Hana
Callaghan, guide creator and director of the Center’s Government Ethics
Program. “How can we take back our political process and reign in the
bad behavior on the campaign trail? We need to start an ethical campaign
movement and let politicians know that we, the voters, want them to
conduct civil and ethical campaigns.”

About the Author

Hana
Callaghan is the director of the Center’s Government Ethics Program.
She has a background in law, government and politics. She has worked in
private practice as a corporate litigator, for a member of the U.S.
House of Representatives as a senior congressional aide, and as a
political consultant managing statewide political campaigns.

About the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Founded in 1986 with a seed grant and initial endowment from Linda and A.C.
“Mike” Markkula Jr., the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa
Clara University brings the traditions of ethical thinking to bear
on real world problems. Beyond a full range of programs for the SCU
community, the Center also serves professionals in fields from business
to health care, from government to the social sector, providing
innovative approaches to problems from fake news to privacy protection.
Through its website and international collaborations, the Center brings
ethical decision-making resources to a global audience. For more
information: www.scu.edu/ethics/.

Contacts

Joel Dibble
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara
University
408-554-5116
jdibble@scu.edu
https://www.scu.edu/ethics/