The most pressing issues of the upcoming year — immigration, economic opportunity, racial disparities, abortion, public education, gun violence, the United States’ role in foreign wars — will be in the spotlight more than ever during the election cycle.
Our audiences need deeply reported, insightful stories to make these big issues resonate. Focusing on vulnerable voices should be the status quo for any story that attempts to get at the heart of an issue. This is how underreported issues can be illuminated, and institutions held accountable. Treating vulnerable sources with respect and integrity is a reporting skill that can be developed intentionally in a newsroom as part of its duty and commitment to serving its audience.
Newsroom leaders commonly ask reporters to get out in the field and “personalize” their stories, to find people who are living the issue at hand and willing to open up and share their story with the audience. But reporters aren’t consistently offered training on how to navigate these interviews and stories in their newsrooms.
A vulnerable source has less power than the reporter, and should be interviewed with clarity and care. Here’s how two journalists gained the trust of vulnerable sources while telling their stories.
Start ‘off the record’
Shoshana Walter, an investigative reporter with The Marshall Project, was working on a book about the U.S. addiction treatment system. She interviewed many mothers who were the subjects of child welfare investigations. She learned that some women who were taking Suboxone, a medication used to treat opioid addiction, were reported to Child Protective Services and investigated, even if they were currently sober.
“I had become a member in all these Facebook groups, like support groups of moms in medication and treatments,” Walter said. “And I was searching those groups just to see if anyone had been reported to CPS due to the prescribed medication. And that’s how I found Jade.”
Walter learned that while Suboxone patients are most commonly white, people of color more often faced scrutiny, including drug tests at birth. Walter took care when working with Jade Dass, whose story she told in her investigation.
“When we first started talking, the understanding I had with her was that our conversation was off the record,” Walter said. “And then I asked her to think about whether or not she wanted to go on record and told her a little bit about what that would entail.”
Shoshana’s reporting exposed a systemic problem and painted a well-researched, complex picture of her vulnerable source. The ability to tap into the most personal areas of Dass’ life story was a key to the piece.
“I knew that I wanted to write a more narrative story. And I knew that with CPS cases, it’s never a black and white story,” Walter said.
Walter said she spoke to Dass about the risks associated with being interviewed about her CPS case and her daughter. In some states, sharing confidential information from a CPS file can result in criminal charges or extra scrutiny from caseworkers and judges.
“And so we talked about that, the potential risks in talking and also the potential risks of retaliation involving her CPS case.”
Walter explained the potential ramifications of the article. Dass took that information and made an informed decision, ultimately agreeing to participate in Walter’s reporting.
More sources may need anonymity
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, María Méndez, then a reporter with The Dallas Morning News, wrote about unauthorized workers who were omitted from government aid programs due to their legal status. Méndez found Juan, who only wanted to use his first name in the story and was initially hesitant to talk at all. She spent time with Juan to make him more at ease.
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