Law Commons^™

This Film Has Been Rated “Approved”: Are Documentary Films Subject To Institutional Review Board Approval And Federal “Human Subjects Research” Rules?, Kimberlianne Podlas

Kimberlianne Podlas

The federal government has long regulated “human subjects research,” by requiring university researchers to submit projects for Institutional Review Board approval; Unless and until the university-level IRB licenses the research project, the academic cannot proceed. Though for most of their existence IRBs have concerned themselves with scientific, medical, and certain behavioral research, they have begun asserting authority over traditional interviewing, broadcast journalism, and documentary filmmaking. Simply, some IRBs believe that it is their mission to oversee any academic investigation involving humans. The proper extent of IRB authority has, thus, become a significant concern to non-fiction filmmakers and other scholars employing …