Consent and Control in Family Interviews
Launch library · evergreen read
Recording a relative's story raises questions of consent that go well beyond a simple agreement to be interviewed at the outset. Speakers should understand, from the very start, how the recording will be used, who might eventually hear or read it, and whether they retain any say over what gets shared more widely.
This is especially important with older relatives, who may agree readily out of politeness or family loyalty without fully considering the implications of a permanent record being made. Checking in periodically throughout the whole process, not just at the outset, helps ensure consent remains genuinely informed rather than simply assumed.
Giving a speaker the right to review, redact or withhold parts of their account afterwards, rather than treating the initial recording as final and fixed, tends to produce both a more trusting relationship overall. It often produces, as a result, a more candid interview from the very beginning of the conversation.