The journalist as moral witness

Abstract

Prototypical philosopher–journalist Michael Ignatieff argues that the globalization that has helped spawn modern ethnic conflict demands that mass media assume new roles as sentinels of ‘moral engagement’. Underlying Ignatieff's call are the claims that history has debunked the concept of absolute human values and that global communication must, above all, mediate among opposing moral worlds. His pluralistic philosophy represents the culmination of a strain of ethical thought that has pre-revolutionary Russian roots. This study examines important elements in Ignatieff's literary persona and the philosophy that informs his journalism.