ABSTRACT
If journalistic storytelling is to have a meaningful, positive impact on society, in the digital age it needs to become more intuitive, more aligned. The imperative to utilise digital media to help create a better world, where citizens and journalists feel they belong, where the powerful are still held to account remains, but perhaps now is the time for a more inclusive, more thoughtful, investigative, and globally aware journalism. Predicated on the understanding that robust journalism plays a crucial role in healthy public discourse, this chapter explores whether reimagining journalism education offers a potential – if partial – route for seeking connected publics and trusted journalism practice. Arguably, in the “post-truth” context, credible journalism has never been more important, but levels of disaffection with the media are profound. How can journalists’ faith in their own ability to have impact be restored? Is a focus on emotional literacy the route to “new journalisms”? This chapter presents ideas for different approaches to journalism education that engage students in self-reflexive activities that enable them to interrogate the normative values of their practice. Embracing the psychosocial notion that journalists who are emotionally literate and self-aware are more likely to produce journalism that is inclusive, immersive, and connected, it suggests that transformative pedagogies could provide a starting point to inspire new journalistic practices.
