Trauma Journalism: “Interviewing Victims of Trauma”

Erin Gibson, instructor of journalism at the University of Southern Indiana, spoke with students on Thursday’s afternoon session about the nuances interviewing individuals who are trauma victims.

“It is an absolute privilege to tell another’s story. No one anywhere owes you any story either. So when an individual opens the door, it’s a privilege, and you’d better handle it very carefully,” Gibson said.

She also admonished students to always seek truth and reporting it, while important, can be damaging if handled without compassion and without awareness of the interviewee’s emotions.

The checklist below is inspired by Gibson’s do’s versus don’ts list regarding the interview process.