API urges disseminating information about personality and successes of child

The Independent Press Association (API) recommends the mass media organizations to review their editorial policies regarding the subjects about children so that they become of general interest and are disseminated as such, not only when they concern cases of violence, human trafficking, offenses, accidents and other tragic situations involving children, Info-Prim Neo reports. After monitoring 16 media outlets during five months within a project supported by UNICEF, the Association established that most of the events presented by the media are negative, shocking and sensational. Some of the media outlets centered on cases of murder, sexual abuse and other tragedies involving children. A large part of the 16 outlets revealed details that help identify the children who became victims or were witnesses to certain events. In November, there were presented electoral materials that exploited the image of the child. Many of the media organizations published articles without marking them accordingly. The API urges the media outlets to protect the identity of the children and not to disclose information that can expose them to risks. Certain rules must be strictly observed when the child or his parents become victims of violence or human trafficking or come into conflict with the law. It also recommends promoting positive subjects about the personality and successes of the child. The Association monitored 12 newspapers and journals, two news agencies and two news websites/portals. The project started on July 1, 2010 and lasted for six months.