Kelly McBride is Poynter’s senior vice president and chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, and is also NPR’s public editor.
I’ve long advocated for a set of best practices in professional journalism acknowledging that some sources face significant risks when telling their private stories. They could become the target of harassment. They could be shunned by their communities. Some people could lose their jobs or face legal consequences. Others may experience shame or humiliation.
In my three years as NPR’s public editor, I’ve learned that NPR journalists have developed an extensive, if informal, set of tools and techniques for working with people who aren’t accustomed to working with journalists.
A couple of recent questions along these lines inspired me to interview several reporters to compile a list of best practices for interviewing vulnerable sources. That list is available here. It will likely continue to grow.
