Mindful Journalism and News Ethics in the Digital Era ― A Buddhist Approach

This book aims to be the first comprehensive exposition of "mindful journalism"—drawn from core Buddhist ethical principles—as a fresh approach to journalism ethics. It suggests that Buddhist mindfulness strategies can be applied purposively in journalism to add clarity, fairness and equity to news decision-making and to offer a moral compass to journalists facing ethical dilemmas in their work. It comes at a time when ethical values in the news media are in crisis from a range of technological, commercial and social factors, and when both Buddhism and mindfulness have gained considerable acceptance in Western societies. Further, it aims to set out foundational principles to assist journalists dealing with vulnerable sources and recovering from traumatic assignments.

Shelton A. Gunaratne is Professor Emeritus in the School of Journalism and Communication at Minnesota State University Moorhead, USA

Mark Pearson is Professor of Journalism and Social Media in the School of Humanities at Griffith University, Australia

Sugath Senarath is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mass Media at the University of Colombo Sri Palee Campus, Sri Lanka