ABSTRACT
Confessional journalism provides an opportunity to talk about private experiences and make public numerous autobiographical contexts. The topics covered in confessional journalism include family problems, addiction, experiences of loss, and illness. The presence of this type of narrative in the media and its virality raises several vital questions. Are objectivity and distance no longer the markers of quality journalism? Why is the emotionality of journalistic content accepted, not to say desired, by so many modern recipients? What is the basis for trust in this type of coverage? The chapter addresses three critical areas of confessional journalism: privacy, trust, and social media, focusing particularly on the confessional discourse through which trust is initiated and maintained. The analysis was carried out using the case study method on two projects, by Polish journalist Piotr Jacoń and British journalist Deborah James, defined as confessional journalism. The study confirmed the public demand for confessional journalism and its synergy with digital communication, especially social media. However, it also signaled the risk of a loss of trust, related, among other things, to the instrumental use of families and other relatives as co-protagonists of the stories being told.
