In the age of interactive communication, the role of media in shaping new styles of leadership has become increasingly prominent—particularly within sports non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which operate with non-profit and participatory goals. This study aims to design a conceptual model to promote ethical leadership through interactive media, inspired by Habermas’s communicative action theory. Employing a qualitative approach and thematic analysis method, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 19 experts in the fields of sports management, communication, applied ethics, and NGO activism. The data analysis led to the identification of 46 initial codes, 14 organizing themes, and 5 overarching themes. These overarching themes included: (1) ethical foundations of leadership, (2) interactive media as a platform for ethical action, (3) communication principles based on Habermas’s theory, (4) challenges and obstacles to achieving ethical leadership, and (5) proposed strategies for ethical reform and improvement. The conceptual model is designed as interactive and nonlinear, showing that ethical leadership emerges through the dynamic interplay of leaders’ internal values, transparent and participatory media platforms, rational-dialogic patterns of communication, and overcoming communicational challenges. The study highlights the need for sports NGOs to foster media literacy, institutionalize ethical communication charters, and utilize interactive media grounded in dialogue and trust to achieve effective ethical leadership.In the age of interactive communication, the role of media in shaping new styles of leadership has become increasingly prominent—particularly within sports non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which operate with non-profit and participatory goals. This study aims to design a conceptual model to promote ethical leadership through interactive media, inspired by Habermas’s communicative action theory. Employing a qualitative approach and thematic analysis method, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 19 experts in the fields of sports management, communication, applied ethics, and NGO activism. The data analysis led to the identification of 46 initial codes, 14 organizing themes, and 5 overarching themes. These overarching themes included: (1) ethical foundations of leadership, (2) interactive media as a platform for ethical action, (3) communication principles based on Habermas’s theory, (4) challenges and obstacles to achieving ethical leadership, and (5) proposed strategies for ethical reform and improvement. The conceptual model is designed as interactive and nonlinear, showing that ethical leadership emerges through the dynamic interplay of leaders’ internal values, transparent and participatory media platforms, rational-dialogic patterns of communication, and overcoming communicational challenges. The study highlights the need for sports NGOs to foster media literacy, institutionalize ethical communication charters, and utilize interactive media grounded in dialogue and trust to achieve effective ethical leadership.