How Do You Feel

Preparing novice reporters for the death knock

Bibliographic Data

ID12908712
AuthorsSallyanne Duncan (0000-0002-5198-2230, corresponding author), Jackie Newton
Year2010
Volume4
Issue4
Pages439-453
Publication date2010-01-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1751-2786 • E-ISSN: 1751-2794
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17512780903482059
OpenAlexW1509560431
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited19

The death knock is a reporting task that presents its own particular pressures. In addition to the usual editorial, legal and ethical concerns, the potential for journalists to do harm is heightened as they attempt to interview already vulnerable people in a situation for which most are ill prepared. In this environment, reporters are generally expected to learn how to undertake this particular form of sensitive reporting “by doing”. Many journalists have received little or no training in this area and despite journalism educators demonstrating a willingness to prepare their students for their first attempt at this type of reporting, there is considerable confusion over the most appropriate and effective methods for doing so. This article discusses certain approaches, specifically role-playing, that could be used in the classroom. Journalists' perceptions of the activity and their preparedness for it were identified in order to enrich educators' understanding of the process. Three studies form the basis of this work—a survey of journalists' attitudes to intrusive reporting, interviews with journalists and other interested parties on their perceptions of the death knock and educational strategies, and a focus group of current second- and third-year students

Confusion · Focus group · Harm · Journalism · Medical education · Perception · Political science · Preparedness · Public relations · Sociology · Task (project management · Work (physics · Communication in Education and Healthcare · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology

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