Devising an ethical ‘death knock’ model: the role of preparations, precursors, and professional identity in mitigating moral injury for journalists

Abstract

This paper proposes a model for an ethical ‘death knock’, the practice by which a journalist approaches a bereaved family to write a story following a newsworthy death. The practice can cause journalists harm, sometimes as moral injury, which results from an ethical breach. Through a literature review and study of Australian journalists, a model of an ethical death knock has emerged that may mitigate moral injury. Elements were developed through analysis of journalists’ expression of how they could be better prepared (training, knowledge, advice, support), and what they perceived as the necessary precursors (conditions) for an ethical death knock (the capacity to act honestly, with respect and empathy, and make a personal approach in circumstances that are justified). The model creates conditions for an ethical death knock through alignment with, and valorisation of, the journalist’s sense of professional identity, which bolsters their resilience to moral injury. The model is underpinned by Bourdieusian field theory.