Preparing Parents to Speak to Journalists and Journalists to Speak to Parents
-Excerpted from interview with Taliah Drayak
When I am working with parents to help them decide whether they want to tell their story to a journalist, the first thing I do is make sure that parents have enough time to fully think through their decision.
Say if a journalist reaches out about a story to run in the Sunday paper, and it’s Wednesday. That is a real rush for parents. Though it is a little cruel to journalists [to make them wait when they are on deadline, I tell them I will call them back with an answer later in the week.
When I talk to parents about possibly talking to a journalist, I let them know that if they decide to be interviewed, they should outline all their boundaries. I explain that there are off-limit areas and they don’t have to discuss those. I make sure to talk to them about this multiple times. I also talk to them about the risks and benefits of sharing their story and make sure they have thought those through. I explain that unless their case is closed parents can’t tell their stories using their names because that would identify the child, but they can tell their stories anonymously.
At the end of our conversation, even if parents tell me that they want to be interviewed, I tell them to sleep on it. In the morning, if the parent is still keen on going through with it, the next thing I do is contact the parent’s lawyer or solicitor to ensure that the parent is allowed to provide this kind of information, is allowed to take part in this interview, and that they believe that doing so will not hurt a parent’s situation. I also try to get it in writing from the lawyer that the parent is allowed to take part in the interview. Considering that every team of journalists also has a legal department, we often have to go through two different legal reviews before getting anything published. This is a safety net for the parent.
When I call back the journalist to let them know that a parent is willing to be interviewed, I relay the boundaries of the interview that the parent has set.
I also let the journalist know that the interview should be as long as the parent needs it to be, not the journalist. Sometimes journalists are just looking for a few quotes from a parent, but parents want the journalist to understand their entire story. I let the journalist know ahead of time that it is their responsibility to hear that parent’s story. At the same time, I try to prepare parents for what to expect from a story, so that they aren’t disappointed.
I provide support for parents before, during and after an interview.