parteilichen

Parteilichen is a German adjective form derived from Partei (party) with the suffix -lich, meaning biased or partisan. It is used to describe attitudes, actions, or evaluations that favor a particular political party or faction rather than presenting information or judgments impartially. The corresponding noun is Parteilichkeit, which denotes partisanship or partiality.

In usage, parteilich describes both personal stance and external behavior. Examples include parteiliche Haltung (partisan stance) and parteiliche Berichterstattung (partisan reporting). The term is common in media studies, political science, and everyday discourse when discussing objectivity and influence in public discourse.

Parteilichkeit is generally viewed as a deviation from neutrality in contexts that require impartial analysis, such as journalism, research, or judiciary processes. In such settings, efforts are often aimed at reducing parteilichkeit to uphold credibility and trust. Conversely, in political campaigning or factional debate, partiality may be acknowledged or even encouraged as a legitimate expression of party loyalty, though it can also invite accusations of bias.

The word appears in various grammatical forms depending on sentence structure, with parteilich as the base adjective and parteilichen serving as a common inflected form in phrases like parteilichen Motiven or parteilichen Berichterstattung. While closely related terms include unparteiisch (impartial) and Neutralität (neutrality), parteilichen concepts highlight the tension between loyalty to a group and the demand for objective evaluation in public life.