Covering kids: are journalists guilty of exploiting children?

Abstract

Because the social sciences have provided much of the intellectual base on which journalism rests, this paper calls for the application of social scientific protocols when journalists interview or interact with children. Working from several Canadian case studies, it argues that media professionals must adopt a systematized and rigorous approach for reporting young people that is akin to the strict guidelines set out by the social sciences to ensure the ethical treatment of human subjects in research situations. If news organizations in general and journalists specifically were to borrow these research protocols and adapt them to their interview situations, news people might better ensure that children's stories are told in a responsible, ethical manner.