Graduation Year
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Degree Granting Department
Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications
Major Professor
Gregory Perreault, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Stephanie Elder, Ed.D.
Committee Member
Wendy Whitt, M.A., M.Ed.
Keywords
Gun Violence, Trauma Coverage, Journalism, Care, Sources
Abstract
School shootings have become a regular part of the news media cycle in the 21st century. Now, more than ever, journalists are needing to find innovative, yet empathetic, ways to deal with such crises as they navigate their own professional boundaries. Using the Ethics of Care model, this research intends to showcase how journalists have, willingly or unwillingly, utilized an empathetic approach when covering school shootings and how they use these tools to comfort their sources and themselves. Through semi - structured interviews of 9 participants, this study seeks to connect the practice of journalism with the one thing journalists are told to rarely ever practice – empathy.
Scholar Commons Citation
Ficara, Grace M., "Human First: How Journalists Employ Ethics of Care and Empathy When Covering School Shootings" (2026). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/11285
