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weathered
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« on: October 17, 2010, 07:38:53 PM » |
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I am in a Southern University. A Christian Broadcasting station entered our campus during the weekend and randomly started shooting documentaries by interviewing college students on their views on religion. If the students were not Christians, they were aggressively humiliated by the reporters and were told that they would go to hell etc etc. I am a new faculty member here and fell into the same trap and was treated pretty badly during the interview--it was akin to a communist/fascist interrogation. I realized that these guys didn't make people sign "consent to interview" forms or anything equivalent to IRB forms that guaranteed the rights of their interviewees. I walked out of my interview by taking back the video recorded tape--hopefully I can use this as an evidence. But feel awful for their behaviors. I also worry that they will misuse the student interviews, most of whom were well meaning teenagers. I don't know how many were interviewed so far. Should I inform the university and petition to sue the broadcasting station? Don't they have the same legal requirement as IRB? Isn't this an "illegal" interview? I want to stop them from humiliating non-Christians in public. This is awful--almost like a medieval witch hunt. What shall I do?
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tuxedo_cat
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« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2010, 07:43:55 PM » |
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This is what Deans are for -- here it would be the Dean of Students, I believe. Not your responsibility to engage in an official response, esp. as a new faculty member. Sounds like a pretty awful experience.
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The only protection from zombies is a good friend who runs slightly more slowly than you do.
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systeme_d_
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« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2010, 07:47:02 PM » |
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You can definitely speak to an administrator (as TC said, probably the Dean of Students) about this, but don't expect a lot of reaction.
Since talking to the Christian broadcasters was voluntary, there's likely not much that can be done. Your admins may decide that the broadcasters could be banned from campus in the future, but that's far from guaranteed. For all you know, the broadcasters may have gotten permission from the admins.
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Systeme_D is right. <rah rah RESEARCH!> |
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ptarmigan
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« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2010, 07:49:33 PM » |
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I don't believe interviewers are under anything like IRB standards. Do you think local TV stations get IRB approval before conducting their man-on-the-street interviews?
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lizzy
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« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2010, 07:49:46 PM » |
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You say the broadcast station people entered your campus. Are they from your campus or from outside?
The administration needs to deal with this. If the station came from off campus, they need to be contacted and their behavior toward students and faculty discussed. If they're from on campus, they need to be contacted and their behavior toward students and faculty discussed.
I agree that you should contact your dean, the dean of students, or whoever you think is best equipped to deal with this situation. I would not attempt to address this on my own.
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I get cranky in the evenings.
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weathered
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« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2010, 07:51:42 PM » |
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You mean the university won't do anything even if a Muslim student was asked to praise Jesus and
such an interview is aired out in Youtube (possibly) without the students' knowledge or consent?
By the end of the interview, I the reporter said, he pitied me for being "lost" and his job was to "save" me.
These people are lunatics...and the dean can't do much? wow...
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weathered
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« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2010, 07:55:06 PM » |
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They are from the outside. It happened yesterday and elsewhere previously--according to the Youtube. Nobody knows about this yet. Still weekend. I already emailed them about whether they have attained a legal right to interview people on their private beliefs and viewpoints, and why they didn't provide "consent to interview" form. This is going to be part of a documentary and all they do is to tell people they are heathens and will go to hell. I need to do something about this. I think this is "illegal." You say the broadcast station people entered your campus. Are they from your campus or from outside?
The administration needs to deal with this. If the station came from off campus, they need to be contacted and their behavior toward students and faculty discussed. If they're from on campus, they need to be contacted and their behavior toward students and faculty discussed.
I agree that you should contact your dean, the dean of students, or whoever you think is best equipped to deal with this situation. I would not attempt to address this on my own.
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ptarmigan
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« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2010, 07:58:14 PM » |
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You mean the university won't do anything even if a Muslim student was asked to praise Jesus and
such an interview is aired out in Youtube (possibly) without the students' knowledge or consent?
By the end of the interview, I the reporter said, he pitied me for being "lost" and his job was to "save" me.
These people are lunatics...and the dean can't do much? wow...
I didn't say the university wouldn't do anything. I said that it is not illegal to interview people without having them sign a consent form. What law do you think is being violated? What would that law say? |
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lizzy
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« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2010, 08:00:14 PM » |
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They are from the outside. It happened yesterday and elsewhere previously--according to the Youtube. Nobody knows about this yet. Still weekend. I already emailed them about whether they have attained a legal right to interview people on their private beliefs and viewpoints, and why they didn't provide "consent to interview" form. This is going to be part of a documentary and all they do is to tell people they are heathens and will go to hell. I need to do something about this. I think this is "illegal." You say the broadcast station people entered your campus. Are they from your campus or from outside?
The administration needs to deal with this. If the station came from off campus, they need to be contacted and their behavior toward students and faculty discussed. If they're from on campus, they need to be contacted and their behavior toward students and faculty discussed.
I agree that you should contact your dean, the dean of students, or whoever you think is best equipped to deal with this situation. I would not attempt to address this on my own.
I understand your frustration, but I really would not take this on myself. Who on campus seems to be positioned to deal with this kind of thing? Dean of students, your PR office, any VP types who have an investment in protecting students and faculty and maintaining the image of the university? I'm not sure that there is a law that mandates people give written consent for an interview--it might be that agreeing to an interview is all the consent that is needed. Ask someone who knows for sure. |
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I get cranky in the evenings.
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tuxedo_cat
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« Reply #9 on: October 17, 2010, 08:05:43 PM » |
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OP: take a couple deep breaths. I think there is general agreement here that something lousy happened here, but whether or not it was illegal is not something that you or anyone on the fora can determine for the moment. And if it was illegal, it needs to be handled by people on your campus who have the actual institutional power to do that.
I am going to echo my advice earlier not to get yourself involved energetically with this controversy -- especially if this is your first job, if you're not familiar with the region, etc. You have no idea what kind of backlash this might produce for you. I'm not saying you should slink away and ignore it and just be quietly pissed off. There are some basic procedural things that you can do, so start there, and see what the response is.
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The only protection from zombies is a good friend who runs slightly more slowly than you do.
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weathered
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« Reply #10 on: October 17, 2010, 08:06:37 PM » |
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It's quite surprising that mass media doesn't have ethical standards on conducting interviews and respecting the rights of privacy. So these people can just roam around and humiliate people for not praising Jesus. When I conducted interviews for my academic work, I kept all legal standards...and am surprised that mass-media doesn't work under such a standard. So they are free to be bigots.
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pigou
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« Reply #11 on: October 17, 2010, 08:11:20 PM » |
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The mass-media does have standards. You generally don't see quotes (or interviews) with people saying outrageously offensive things. Nor do professional journalists (normally) go out of their way to showcase the stupid people.
That being said, anyone can do a documentary and put it on youtube. Expecting the average person to follow ethical standards is, unfortunately, too much to ask. Especially if they're clearly out there with the intent to humiliate people.
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benchmark
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« Reply #12 on: October 17, 2010, 08:22:25 PM » |
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it is not illegal to interview people without having them sign a consent form. What law do you think is being violated? What would that law say?
Exactly. There's no law against humiliating people in public*. They don't need to ask you to sign a consent, since you have the right to remain silent and not answer their questions. I always wonder at people who answer questions when journalists with a tv crew stop them in the street. I would say 'no comment' and scurry away. *unless in doing so you're incidentally breaking some other law like inciting people to violence or causing a riot, or libel or slander or such things, none of which apply here. |
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prytania3
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« Reply #13 on: October 17, 2010, 08:38:56 PM » |
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I don't believe this happened. Sorry, but I don't believe one word of it.
This is just a first post meant to cause a commotion.
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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weathered
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« Reply #14 on: October 17, 2010, 08:44:05 PM » |
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It happened. I have a video tape and it ended with the guy preaching at me for being heathen, for not believing in the greatness of Jesus--the savior, and the son of God--, for not realizing my original sins, etc etc. I repeated told him that my views on religion are neutral, I respect all religions, did not denounce God, etc..etc. Frankly, I don't think much about religion, never had bad feelings towards Christians...and what I saw yesterday was just awful. I don't believe this happened. Sorry, but I don't believe one word of it.
This is just a first post meant to cause a commotion.
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