Deliberative communication in the context of authoritarian sentimentalism and disinformation chaos

Abstract

In an era of multiplatform journalism and the extraordinary ease of presenting views online, democracies face a key challenge, namely convincing citizens of the rightness of the solutions put forward. The concepts of “deliberative communication” offer a seemingly simple solution to the search for social consensus. However, citizens are much more exposed than in the past to disinformation, misdirection and purposeful manipulation. This study examines the quality of public debate in the adoption of major health legislation in the Slovak Republic. The aim is to highlight the different attitudes of the participants to the debate and the different motivations of the participants in the broad public debate. The study presents an analysis of the outputs of professional organisations and political representatives at national and regional level. It highlights the biased coverage of local media and the level of debate involving an exceptionally large range of speakers.