Teaching Collegiate Journalists How to Cover Traumatic Events Using Moral Development Theory

Abstract

The authors make the argument that trauma journalism should be taught as part of the postsecondary curriculum in journalism schools. As part of that education, students will learn that coping with the psychological effects of repeated exposure to such events can have long-term impacts on their mental health. As Kohlberg and Rest found, students in college are at a pivotal point in their moral development. Education takes place as adolescents are developing key psychological skills, including moral and ethical decision-making. Collegiate journalists should be gaining these valuable reasoning skills as it relates to covering traumatic events.