Contributors & informed consent
We obtain informed consent from our contributors in a variety of ways depending on the circumstances of their contribution. Wherever practicable we should obtain consent in a form capable of proof, preferably in writing or recorded.
In many cases contributors will give their consent by simply agreeing to be recorded for radio or television or to contribute online. This will usually apply to people who are interviewed at short notice for any of our services, including people in the news and people who take part in "vox pops". It is clearly impractical to obtain written consent for time sensitive contributions, including those to local radio, 24 hour news and other news outlets.
Occasionally there may also be circumstances in which contributors give their verbal consent at the start of a project and their continued consent is implicit through their ongoing involvement in the making of the programme.
Young people and vulnerable adults may not always be in a position to give informed consent. For example, people with learning difficulties or forms of dementia, the bereaved, and people who are sick or terminally ill. In such cases, someone over eighteen with primary responsibility for their care should normally give consent on their behalf, unless it is editorially justified to proceed without it. However, we should normally avoid asking someone who is unable to give their own consent for views on matters likely to be beyond their capacity to answer properly.
People recorded clearly committing an offence or behaving in an anti-social manner in a public place will not normally be asked for consent. We would also normally reveal their identity although there are circumstances when it is important not to do so.