Moral Distress and Injury in American Journalism

"In a small newsroom, an editor-in-chief watches helplessly as their paper is gutted by a hedge fund's cost- cutting. A reporter covering the migration crisis finds herself haunted by the suffering she witnesses, feelings of helplessness, and the way her friends and family ignore the problem. In newsrooms across the U.S., journalists struggle with the mandate to present "both sides" even when one side is not telling the truth."

"For many reporters, their work is not just a job, but a deeply moral pursuit rooted in layered influences. "I think of it as a calling, the same way that some people are called to the priesthood," one journalist reflected. This sense of vocation highlights how morality in journalism is shaped by a web of individual, familial, cultural, societal, and legal expectations for social behavior (Farnsworth et al., 2014; Litz et al., 2009)."

An editor-in-chief watches helplessly as a small newsroom is gutted by a hedge fund's cost-cutting, undermining reporting capacity. A reporter covering the migration crisis is haunted by suffering she witnesses, by feelings of helplessness, and by friends and family who ignore the problem. Journalists nationwide face pressure to present "both sides" even when one side is not telling the truth, creating ethical conflict. Journalists work in thankless conditions and face public skepticism fueled by irresponsible or sensationalized news producers. These pressures contribute to a growing crisis of moral distress and moral injury in journalism. A potentially morally injurious event (PMIE) involves a deeply held personal value being violated in a context with significant consequences. Many reporters view their work as a calling, with morality shaped by individual, familial, cultural, societal, and legal expectations; violations of communal values such as care, fairness, and loyalty create deep internal conflict.

Read at Psychology Today