In search of the journalistic imagination

•Reporters tell stories based on facts, but stories cannot be told without imagination.•To explore the roots and cultivation of the imaginative capacities of journalists.•The results indicated 10 indicators of imaginative capacity.•We identified 6 roots of imaginative capacity.•We also identified 7 methods for cultivating this capacity.

Journalists tell stories based on facts, but stories cannot be told without imagination. However, little research has been conducted on journalistic imagination. This study aimed to explore the indicators, roots, and cultivation of the imaginative capacities of journalists. For this purpose, 6 renowned journalists in Taiwan were studied. The results identified 10 indicators of imaginative capacity in the study participants. The research team also identified 6 roots of imaginative capacity, among which professional conduct emerged as the decisive root in the case of the journalists, and it was followed by personality traits, academic background, news sense, work experience, and social responsibility. Furthermore, the team identified 7 methods of cultivating imaginative capacity: self-reflection, reading and learning, observing and listening, comparing and benchmarking, nurturing broad interests, acquiring aesthetic experiences, and creating welcoming environments. The results provide an understanding of how journalistic imagination can be assessed, and they further contribute insights into the complexities that various roots endow upon diverse imaginative capacities when distinct methods of cultivation are used.