Pursuing an Ethic of Empathy in Journalism

Janet Blank-Libra is Professor of English and Journalism at Augustana University, USA, where she teaches literature courses (fiction and nonfiction), photojournalism, ethics and law of the press, a variety of writing courses, and courses specific to the university’s honors program. She has twice received teaching awards and recently finished a three-year appointment as the recipient of an endowed chair that the university calls "The Chair of Moral Values," a rather weighty title that allowed her to bring ethical issues to the attention of the community.

• Foreword [Geneva Overholser] Preface 1. Introduction: Toward an Integrated Practice 2. An Expanding Philosophy 3. A Theoretical Examination of Empathy and Compassion 4. Objectivity: A Timeworn Antipathy to Empathy5. Against Compassion: A Quagmire for Journalists 6. Historically Intertwined: The Narrative and Empathy 7. The Empathetic Journalist in the 21st Century 8. A Model for Cultivating a Life of Empathy and Compassion 9. Research and Reflection: Fueling Empathy 10. The Moral Imagination: Reclaiming the Call 11. Cultivating Ethical Relationships 12. Empathetic Listening as a Journalistic Discipline 13. For the Good of the Soul