ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that we can improve journalism and all that it touches in a media era dominated by Trumpian discourse if we attend more fully and expansively to the ethical tenet that journalists must “minimize harm” in their reporting. While this principle is generally conceived and applied as a prescription to treat individual sources and story subjects with respect and dignity, moral reasoning suggests we shouldn’t stop at the individual level if minimizing harm is in fact an ethical good. Journalists should also make decisions that are most likely to minimize harms against publics, cultures, societies, and ecosystems. The chapter explores three approaches to minimizing social harm: journalisms of 1) discernment that privileges good-faith speech and speakers, 2) compassion that expresses journalists’ good will and desire to improve conditions for those who suffer, and 3) a purposeful joy that empowers communities to work toward meaningful justice and equitable peace.
