Compassion, Morality and the Media

* Why do the reports and representations of suffering and misery move us? * What are we likely to do about it and why? * Why do people take part in telethon appeals? Most of us have watched television or read newspapers and been moved to compassion by the suffering and misery that we see. We know that many people suffer thanks to war, famine or environmental catastrophe. But what do the reports and representations of the suffering and misery of others actually mean to media users? Compassion, Morality and the Media seeks to answer this question and offers an engaging narrative through which it becomes possible to think about the role of journalists as moral agents. The author explores the tensions between the intentions of journalists, the horizons of the audience and the priorities of media institutions. This is a book which deals with important issues that have been relatively neglected in the academic study of the media. It is accessible and relevant and opens up a new terrain for research and teaching on the media as a moral force. Students taking undergraduate courses on the media and others with a wider interest in media morality will find it to be compelling reading.

ISBN 0335205135   Pages 160 ISBN13 9780335205134 (What's this?)   Volumes 001 Publisher Open University Press   Weight (grammes) 290 Imprint Open University Press   Published in Milton Keynes Format Paperback   Series editor Allan, Stuart Publication date 01 Mar 2001   Series title Issues in Cultural and Media Studies Writer of foreword Allan, Stuart   Height (mm) 229 Library of Congress P94.T44 20   Width (mm) 169 DEWEY 302.23   Spine width (mm) 10 DEWEY edition DC21   Academic level Tertiary education

		Series Editor's Foreword
		Introduction		1
1		Parameters for a Debate		4
2		Compassion Fatigue and the Ethics of the Journalistic Field		13
3		The Compassion of the Audience		43
4		Lifting the Lid on Compassion		74
5		Telethons, Investment and Gifts		104
		Conclusion		132
		Glossary		136
		References		140
		Index		145

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