How to Write and Report Adoption Stories
Tips for Journalists Writing About Adoptive Families
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 1.6 million children, or 2.5 percent of all children in the U.S., were adopted. Adoptive families often are hurt by negative views and stereotypes, which sometimes appear in news stories. Journalists can positively affect views of adoption by choosing words that help audiences better understand adoption and its role in society, as well as the people touched by it.
Basic Tips to Follow in Adoption Reporting
Recognizing the need for improvement, journalists have pursued change in the industry and formed Accurate Adoption Reporting. The group has lobbied for an adoption entry in The Associated Press Stylebook and teamed with the Adoption Information Institute to develop A Journalist's Guide to Adoption. The groups recommend adoption writers follow these basic tips:
- Include references to adoption only if they’re relevant to the story.
- Recognize adoption as a “normal” way to form a family, and put adoptive families into context with the experience of all families.
- Don't perpetuate negative views and stereotypes by assuming an issue or problem relates to adoption or a person’s adoptive status.
- Learn about the adoption triad (birth parents, adoptees and adoptive parents). Use appropriate language to describe relationships within it.
- Inform readers about adoption practices and resources.
Accurate Reporting Begins With a New Mindset
Reporters should approach every adoption story with a clean slate. Throw away any misconceptions or stereotypes and recognize no two adoption situations are exactly alike. Even experienced adoption writers should ask for clarification and follow up with sources when necessary to successfully portray the realities of adoptive families. Consider the definition of open adoption, for example. Varying levels of openness exist across a broad spectrum; therefore one person’s definition of openness can differ greatly from another’s.
Updated Adoption Language
The language of adoption has changed dramatically in recent years. Antiquated, negative phrases such as “put up for adoption” and “given away” have been replaced with “make an adoption plan.” Find a comprehensive list of today’s more accurate and positive adoption terms online in A Journalist’s Guide to Adoption. Writers should become familiar with this modernized manner of discussing and writing about adoption in order to help eradicate old myths and stereotypes about adoption.
Ask Questions With Sensitivity
Never ask an adoptive parent, “When did you get your child?” While some families don’t mind this question – and even celebrate “Gotcha Day” – others will find it offensive. This language rubs some families the wrong way because it makes the child sound like a piece of property. Instead ask, “When did you adopt your child?” Most parents will gladly share the joys of their child’s adoption story and timeline if the reporter phrases the question appropriately.
By the same token, don’t ask a birth parent or an adoptive parent why a child was “given up” or why her birth family didn’t “keep her.” These phrases should be eliminated altogether when discussing or writing about adoption. If it’s relevant to the story, ask why the child’s birth parents made an adoption plan. Realize the complexity of this question and keep in mind birth parents themselves are best qualified to answer this question in their own words.
Report Adoption Stories Realistically
Birth parents, adoptees and adoptive families deserve respect and privacy. Understand that some questions might go unanswered. Some parents choose to keep details about their child’s adoption within the family to protect the adoptee’s privacy. Other families will flood reporters with all the minutiae of their child’s adoption journey and heartily welcome photographers into their homes.
Use caution with personal stories that tempt reporters to write a feel-good story complete with a happy ending. Adoption writing challenges writers to recognize loss lies at the heart of adoption: a child’s loss of her birth family, the birth family’s loss of a child and sometimes the lost dream of a biological child for the adoptive parents. Successful writers acknowledge this deep loss and report the realities of adoption from the perspectives of all those affected by it.
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