Rethinking Emotions and Ethics in Journalism

Research on emotions, affect, and journalism has questioned the dominant norm of detachment and objectivity and rehabilitated the role of emotions, pointing to the many benefits of mobilizing emotions in journalistic storytelling. At the same time, research has sought to connect the affective economies of emotions produced and circulating in some form of news with the political economy of news production. This critical inquiry identified important tensions that emerge when some journalistic outlets commodify and sell negative emotions, such as hate, outrage, and shame. This contribution proposes that we turn to a feminist ethics of care to provide a guideline for the development of a normative approach to emotion in journalism. Such an approach could enrich and diversify our thinking about emotions in journalism from an ethical point of view, inform journalistic practices, challenge and critique the current commodification and manipulation of emotions, and finally lead to more inclusive practices.