This isn't exactly storytelling related (more ethics than anything), but still, I found it interesting and thought-provoking to read the discussion going on in the comments posted below the story. What are our guidelines here at YDR?
I know I generally make a parent aware that their child has spoken with or is going to speak with me and tell them what the story is about. Usually, they're OK with that. But what about controversial subjects or in cases where overbearing parents might want to edit/control what their children are saying? Is that their right? How should we handle?
I think this might make for a good in-house conversation sometime.
I thought it was interesting, too.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder about this stuff, being on the education beat. Often kids are the best source, but I worry sometimes that they are not mature enough to understand the consequences of their words.
I'd love to talk sometime about it with anyone else that is interested.
My thought: We need to interview kids, but we need to use sound ethical judgment, and news judgment, when doing so to help us navigate a wide variety of situations.
ReplyDeleteFor example, quoting a 12-year-old about a school anti-drug assembly -- "I learned a lot about not taking drugs" -- is probably harmless, and we probably don't need to alert that kid's parents (much less ask permission).
But if that 12-year-old says, "My dad's an alcoholic, and now I'm going to go talk to him about it," that's an alarm that we need to carefully consider whether to use the quote, whether to reach the parents, and so on.
To take another example, in a spot-news situation, you have to talk to people who were there and saw what happened. If those sources include children or teens, you have to assess their credibility as you would any other source.
And certainly, there are times it makes sense to stay away from children (particularly very young ones) as sources. If an 8-year-old has witnessed a traumatic event, you don't want to run up to the child on the street and start asking questions. You may want to ask his/her parents if the child would be willing to talk.
As far as teens ... they're probably more sophisticated than we think they are, but many do have egos the size of small buildings and love to show everyone how smart they are, so it's wise to use that knowledge in assessing their comments.
Bottom line: You have to factor in the topic, the quote or the information, the age of the child and his/her relative maturity level, the potential harm that could be done (to whomever, including the child) if we use the quote, and journalistic value of what was said. If anything makes your alarm go off, bounce it off someone in a newsroom; bring it to an editor and discuss.