Here's how to ask the right questions respectfully and compassionately
"At Blace [in Macedonia], I watched in disbelief as a reporter walked up to a group of young female refugees and asked: 'Anybody in your village been raped?' They dissolved into tears and fled."
International journalist Sherry Ricchiardi recounted her experiences of interviewing refugees in Macedonia in 1999, and the impact bad reporting practices can have on vulnerable communities in this piece published on IJNet on 25 April.
As the Syrian refugee crisis continues to dominate headlines across Europe and the world, many have called for more constructive approaches to reporting on refugees, from the UN to journalists themselves.
Interviewing vulnerable people is a challenging task for reporters, who must be careful not to ask questions that could trigger memories of traumatic experiences for their sources.
Ricchiardi put together some key advice for interviewing refugees for IJNet, based on tip sheets from the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a guidebook from Radio for Peacebuilding Africa, her own experience and more.
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