Sonderanalyse recognises that covering children and young people requires particular care to protect their safety, privacy and long-term wellbeing. This policy sets out the standards our editorial team follows whenever minors appear in our reporting, and it applies to all content published by Sonderanalys Media Ltd. Every story involving a minor receives additional review by our fact‑checking lead, Anna Engels, before publication.
Why do we have a dedicated policy for minors?
Children are more vulnerable than adults to the lasting effects of media exposure, and their consent—or their parents’ consent—cannot always be assumed. This policy ensures that Sonderanalyse treats every minor with the same duty of care we apply to any sensitive subject, while still allowing us to report on issues that genuinely affect young people in Sweden and beyond.
Our approach is rooted in Swedish and international press ethics and in our own Editorial Policy. We never publish a minor’s name, image or identifying details unless we are confident that doing so is in the child’s best interest and that appropriate consent has been obtained from a parent or guardian.
What safeguards apply when we cover children?
Before any article that names or shows a minor can be published, the story must be flagged to Anna Engels, our Standards Lead for fact‑checking and corrections. She reviews the piece for potential harm, checks the consent documentation and confirms that the editorial justification is proportionate.
Our reporters follow specific guidelines: they avoid interviewing children without a responsible adult present, they do not use images that could lead to identification of a child in a safeguarding context, and they never publish information about a minor’s home address, school or routine. Sponsored or commercial content that features children is labelled clearly and reviewed under the same additional scrutiny, as outlined in our Advertising and Affiliate Disclosure.
What you can expect from us
You can expect that Sonderanalyse will never use a child’s story simply to generate clicks or emotional response. If we cover a difficult topic such as abuse, illness or family separation, we anonymise the minor unless there is a compelling public interest reason to do otherwise, and we always consider the child’s long‑term digital footprint.
Our fact‑checking team verifies every source that concerns a minor, and we will remove or correct any content if new information shows it may have harmed a child’s welfare. This commitment is part of broader standards described in our Sources and Standards page and our Fact‑Checking Policy.
How are concerns or complaints handled?
If you believe that Sonderanalyse has published material that compromises a minor’s safety or privacy, we want to hear from you. Please send details to complaints@sonderanalyse.de.
Anna Engels will acknowledge your complaint within two working days and lead the internal review. We will inform you of the outcome and any corrective action taken. For full details of the process, see our Complaints Procedure.
Questions or concerns?
If you have questions about how Sonderanalyse handles minors in our journalism, or about this policy in general, please contact our editorial team at editorial@sonderanalyse.de. For formal complaints, use complaints@sonderanalyse.de. We treat all safeguarding matters with the seriousness they deserve and will respond promptly.