The journalists’ checklist
Use this helpful checklist to verify that you are communicating ethically and in line with the choices, preferences and expectations of the people at the heart of the stories.
The checklist
Does the term I am using to refer to this person match their situation?
- Has this person claimed or do they plan to claim refugee protection?
- Does this person have refugee status?
Is this person able to give informed consent for an interview?
- Does this person know that interviews published in the media can be used by government authorities for purposes related to their refugee claim?
- Could the public release of this interview put the individual or their family members at risk?
Is the individual comfortable with disclosing their identity through publication of the interview?
- Is this person comfortable having their first name, last name or any other identifying element disclosed in the interview?
- Are the anonymization steps used in this interview sufficient to protect this person’s identity?
Did this person give their informed consent to take photos or videos?
- Was prior notice given to the person before the images were taken?
- Did this person give informed consent to have their image released publicly?
Does this person have access to appropriate psychological or psycho-social assistance?
- Did I establish a relationship of trust with the person concerned?
- Did this individual discuss sensitive topics during the interview, including topics related to potential trauma?
- Did a need arise to offer a means of contacting a social worker or psychologist?