Children are not miniature adults, and they deserve special consideration when they end up in the news. Yet few journalists have experience interviewing children for routine stories, let alone when tragedy strikes. What ground rules apply? Is it OK to interview children huddled outside a school after a classmate has opened fire? Should a child be named as a victim of abuse in news coverage?
Here we bring together wisdom, examples and interdisciplinary resources to aid and inform those concerned with how children involved in traumatic events are covered in the media.
Be human first. Do as much pre-reporting as possible. Find out what questions the child has been asking. When possible, immerse. Make them comfortable. Leave them in a good place. Verify what they’ve told you. And don’t underestimate them.
The Dart Center is now accepting applications for a four-day journalism training workshop in Amman, Jordan, with a special focus on the Syrian refugee crisis and response.
The Dart Center has announced the recipients of its first ever reporting fellowships on early childhood development. The fellows will have six months to work on stories across the globe. Learn more about the fellows and their stories below.
Full video from "Interviewing Children: Multi-disciplinary Approaches; Diverse Contexts"; June 30, 2018.