Peter Denton said:
2. Think about making it a condition (in writing, not spoken word) of your appearance that they cannot
broadcast any material until you have seen and approved the final edited version. They need participants in
order to make the programme - if they are not prepared to accommodate you in this way then they're probably
not worth getting involved with. Also demand a copy of any disclaimers and waivers you sign. Don't ask for
disclaimers in advance. Read, amend if necessary and sign them on the day of filming - they're more likely to
accept your changes and specific conditions than they are to turn around, go back to their office and write the
session off with no material...
Here's where my past as a journalist comes in handy :-)
As a working journalist, I always refused any requests for prior approval of my work, and I encourage my
current journalism students to do the same. Pretty much the only folks who get this sort of thing are
"celebrities"--after all, if it's Tom Cruise you want (ugh), some other fellow won't do. Sadly, that doesn't apply
to us academics, researchers and people with disabilities! From a journalist's point of view, prior approval
agreements are a bloody nightmare. People want to redo their inarticulate quotes, film again because their hair
wasn't right, and so on.
That said, my advice would be to engage your journalist *and the editor/producer of the piece* in a
preliminary discussion about how they have constructed the subject, including the kind of title they plan to use,
the audience they're trying to reach, their understanding of the issues, etc. For example, the chance of my
participating in a programme to be called "Make Me Normal" is exactly nil, unless the point of the show is to
question the concept of "normalcy" itself through showing how the imposition of an ideal of "normalcy" blights
the lives of people with disabilities.
I do think there are many people in the media who start off with disability-related documentary ideas that are
sensitive and well-intentioned, but that take a detour into sensationalism due to editorial pressure or because
the easiest sources to find are not very thoughtful ones. That's why being in touch with those who will make the
final decisions about the shape of the article or programme (the editor and/or producer) is so important. They
can take something that's good, like your friend's interview, and edit it down to crap.
Been there, done that, now rather embarrassed about it,
Mitzi
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