ABSTRACT:
This study examines the causes of the polarisation of society in Slovakia and identifies weak public trust in the media as one of the main factors. The authors argue that the failure of the media to report objectively and truthfully stems from the lack of epistemological training of journalists, which leads to ethical lapses such as the prioritisation of ideological, political, or economic interests. The main aim of this study is to clarify the epistemological and ethical conditions that influence the process of journalistic reporting in Slovakia. Using a hermeneutic-semiotic method, a deeper and more coherent understanding of these principles is achieved. The text emphasises the need to develop epistemological competences of journalists, which include the ability to comprehensively understand social phenomena, the limits of language and the relationship between fact and interpretation. Equally important is the moral integrity of journalists and their resilience to external political and economic influences. The authors conclude that improving the epistemological and ethical levels of journalists can contribute to mitigating the polarisation of society, but this process requires the prioritisation of education, which is a long-term and difficult task.
KEY WORDS:
epistemology, ethics, journalism, moral integrity, polarisation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2026.Vol.17.No.1.2