Anonymity and ethical considerations: The research and identity issues
The topic that I chose to focus on forced me to face various complex considerations which can at some points be very sensitive. With this in mind, I had to conduct research media law, in depth to make sure that the reporting of my news story was ethically sound and provided anonymity to those that were entitled.
Initially, I had to make sure that every person I interviewed had informed consent. Informed consent, meaning, that the person participating was fully informed about the project that is being conducted. I did this by explaining in full to the participants of the Major Multimedia Project (MMP) how I wanted the finish project to be perceived and focusing on, following each interview they also signed an interview release form.
One of the ethical considerations I had to face was the confidentiality of the information passed onto me. For example, I was given the contact information and details of someone who has been identified as a victim of modern slavery and they, therefore, had an expectation of privacy. Although in this line of work, a journalist has a reasonable expectation to keep their sources confidential - it was even more important in this case because declaring my source would identify the victim and consequently could lead to her being re-enslaved.
Following the interview, it was apparent that she had also been a victim of sexual abuse. This means that she also has the right to anonymity under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992. Once an allegation of a sexual offence has been made by an individual, the press cannot report the name, address, still or moving image throughout the whole of that persons life time. Therefore, it was important for me to not reveal any of these conditions and that there was also no chance of jigsaw identification of the victim.
Another ethical consideration I had was how to describe the people that have been affected by modern slavery. I had to make sure that I was currently naming someone as a 'victim' or a 'potential victim' depending whether they had been through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and been given a conclusive grounds (CG) decision. I had to familiarise myself with all of this new terminology and research in depth on the topic that I had never reported on before.
Also, I would personally classify someone that has been a victim of enslavement as a vulnerable person. However, once a person has left a safe house and the protection of charities that support them - they are no longer regarded as a vulnerable person by social services. Therefore, this is an issue in the way in which further support cannot be granted. This was one issue that was particularly spoken about by one of my interviewees, Euan Fraser. Therefore, I had this in mind while interviewing and treated them as if they were a vulnerable person - respecting their decisions about wanting to not speak about certain aspects of their experience.
Another element that I had to consider in my project was under the IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation) guidelines in which there is an expectation of a journalist to respect a person that is suffering from grief or shock. Approaches of this must be made with sympathy and discretion, with publications handled sensitively. To read further about the ways that I prepared for my sensitive interviews, visit a page on my blog called 'Preparation for Sensitive Interviews'. From my interviews, I also found out that service users of modern slavery are prone to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which can consequently lead to the need for counselling and or treatment. It is also likely that victims of modern slavery are suffering from some form of grief from the experience. I therefore, dealt with the interactions with immense compassion and understanding.
