Moral Imagination in Journalistic Narratives: Embracing Visual Platforms

Abstract

Moral imagination allows individuals to envision a range of moral scenarios and use that understanding to make moral judgments. Three types of journalistic narratives can inspire moral imagination through the power of emotion, moral awareness, and moral intuition. However, moral imagination may also fail due to four conditions: (1) journalism education, norms and practices, (2) empathic writing reserved for specific types of journalism, (3) a moral misalignment between journalists and audiences, and (4) audience preference for popcorn-style visual storytelling. To improve the opportunity for moral imagination, this essay argues that journalists should use affect-oriented digital platforms with an engaged and caring approach.