THE CONSTRUCTION OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATION AS EVIDENCE IN ETHICS PROCEEDINGS (STUDY OF DECISION NUMBER 1/MKDKPP/VI/2026)

The evolution of digital communication in election administration has generated communication records that serve purposes beyond mere administration and coordination; they can also be utilized to examine alleged ethical violations by election officials. This is evident in the DKPP Ethics Council Decision Number 1/MKDKPP/VI/2026, which incorporates WhatsApp exchanges regarding information dissemination, coordination, event schedules, and operational details. This study aims to reveal how digital communication is represented, interpreted, and constructed as factual evidence during the examination of ethical violations by election officials. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study employs directed qualitative content analysis and utilizes Stuart Hall’s theory of representation as its analytical framework. The research data consists of the text of DKPP Decision Number 1/MKDKPP/VI/2026, with coding focused on context, selection, placement, interpretation, recontextualization, and the construction of facts. The findings indicate that digital communication undergoes a functional transformation when it shifts from interpersonal or administrative interaction to an ethics inquiry. Messages that originally served as tools for information and coordination are represented within the case narrative and positioned alongside other testimonies and documents. They are subsequently interpreted through the lenses of propriety, appropriateness, professionalism, and the accountability of election officials. In conclusion, digital communication constitutes a text capable of undergoing semantic transformation and plays a pivotal role in constructing ethical facts during the examination process of election officials.