ABSTRACT
Critics have long pointed to persistent failings in U.S. journalism’s coverage of poverty. This chapter argues that some of these problems can be traced to journalism’s commitment to objectivity — or, at least, a philosophically thin conception of objectivity — that promotes distance and dispassion. The chapter argues for a socially empathetic and compassionate approach to journalism that creates the conditions for the closure of the distance among citizens stratified by wealth, privilege and opportunity. The chapter situates this approach in the context of journalism’s functions in a democracy. The chapter discusses the relationship of both journalists and citizens to their communities.
