Abstract
Rather than remain entrenched in debates over definitions or the origins of narrative journalism, Martin’s Virtue Paradigm and Virtue Map encourage a deeper consideration of the responsibility that writers of narrative non-fiction have to their readers. Using examples of book-length journalism, Martin explores the faultline between fact and fiction, establishing truth as a foundational virtue in her study of prize-winning feature articles. Bourdieu’s field theory and his concept of symbolic capital are introduced as a means of exposing the power relations that inform the media. Acknowledging that prizes are, by definition, value-laden affairs, Martin explains how her Virtue Map model encourages a critical analysis of terms such as ‘quality’, ‘impact’ and ‘excellence’, revealing the often taken-for-granted values held by the media profession.
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Martin, J. (2021). Navigating Narrative Journalism: Blurred Boundaries and Uncertain Beginnings. In: Emotions and Virtues in Feature Writing. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62978-6_2
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