First Advisor
Maurice Hamington
Date of Award
Spring 6-14-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Philosophy and University Honors
Department
Philosophy
Language
English
Subjects
care ethics, feminism, journalism ethics, vulnerability, trauma, objectivity
Abstract
Traditional journalistic ethics have emphasized detachment from sources and objectivity guiding journalists' practices. In this thesis, I explore the contribution of care ethics to the field of journalistic ethics, emphasizing care in relation to interviewing vulnerable sources. I claim that the traditional objective, detached ethical status quo in journalism is insufficient in the context of reporting on mass shootings. This thesis argues that caring journalistic practices should be utilized when interviewing traumatized, vulnerable sources. In the first part, I present the issue of traditional journalistic practices through my personal experiences. I also discuss the philosophical underpinnings to journalist's objectivity criterion. Then, I move to examining how care ethics can supplement newsroom practices in the particular context of vulnerable sources. Journalists must exhibit care with traumatized sources using a mixture of care ethics literature, lived experiences of traumatized sources, interviews with Oregonian journalists, and replacing the objectivity criterion with a vulnerability criterion. My recommendation suggests a list of questions a journalist should ask themselves before interviewing the victims of a mass shooting.
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44803
Recommended Citation
Carandanis, Noah, ""But Oh, What Harm Those Basics Would Cause": How Journalists Can Better Interview Vulnerable Sources Utilizing an Ethic of Care" (2026). University Honors Theses. Paper 1832.