ABSTRACT
Journalism is filled with ethical challenges, and some of the most common start on journalists path to interviewing. The Society of Professional Journalists sets the standard of media ethics through its Code of Ethics, and many of them apply specifically to the gathering of information through interviews. A major tenant of journalism ethics is do no harm, so avoid putting any interview subjects through more trauma. Kids need to be old enough to understand the ramifications of their statements to be ethically interviewed. The focus on interviewing high school students shifted with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting on February 14, 2018, as the student body became the most outspoken sources. Interviewing victims of crimes and disasters is never easy, and it requires special ethical considerations. The key in these interviews is compassion without judgment. Language is a primary consideration when interviewing those who have suffered crime or tragedy.
