Asking people to tell stories about their family history, cultural background, and life experiences sometimes means sharing personal information with us. If we record their stories – whether or not we plan to publish what we record – we are entrusted to be careful, respectful, and fair to them and their stories long after our interviews are complete. As the recorder, you can do a few things before starting any interviews or collecting.
- Provide a written form that explains what you plan to do with the stories. Make sure your form is in a language that your storyteller can understand very well. Always talk with the storyteller about your plans, too. Is it a school assignment? Do you simply want to learn more about your community? Do you plan to publish your records in the school paper or the internet? See sample forms.
- Build trust with the people you interview by understanding their rights, or lack of rights – for example, if they are under-aged, belong to a minority culture, have limited access to legal aid through citizenship or financial complications, etc.
- Consider the storyteller’s interests: what they might want to get from sharing their stories, as well as what might be sensitive information to them that must be safeguarded.
- Storytellers might want to remain anonymous, and you should respect this at all costs. Whether using cameras, tape recorders, paper, or video, storytellers can ask to keep their names, faces, or voices off, or obscured, on your recordings. Don’t make promises you can’t or don’t intend to keep. If you say that you will erase part of a tape, do so, even if it means losing some important information.
- Let your storytellers see anything that will be published before it goes out.
- Never, under any circumstance, record secretly. There is never any justification for such dishonesty. Such behavior can only result in bad feelings.
Source: http://www.cimorelli.com/pie/library/intrview.htm
Ready to get technical?
See details on ethical considerations for working with diverse individuals and communities from the American Folklore Society.