This page explains how Sonderbriefing (sonderbriefing.de) approaches the coverage of minors in our journalism, what additional safeguards we apply, and how you can raise a concern. It is designed to give readers confidence that children and young people are treated with particular care in our reporting, and to make our process transparent.
Why do we have a dedicated policy for covering minors?
Sonderbriefing believes that children and young people deserve heightened protection in journalism because of their vulnerability and the potential for lasting harm from public exposure. Our commitment is to balance the public interest in a story against the right of a minor to privacy, safety and a normal development. This policy is part of our broader editorial standards, overseen by Chefredaktör Tim Zimmermann and enforced by our Standards Lead, Laura Arnold, who reviews every piece involving a minor before publication.
We never treat a minor simply as a source of quotes or a means to illustrate a story. Instead, we assess whether their involvement is necessary, whether consent has been properly obtained from a parent or guardian (and, where appropriate, the minor themselves), and whether we can tell the story without naming or identifying them. This approach is rooted in the Swedish constitutional protections for children and aligns with international best practice in journalism.
What does this mean for a minor or their family featured in our reporting?
If your child or a child you care for is mentioned, photographed or quoted in a Sonderbriefing article, you can expect that we have taken extra steps to consider their welfare. Our reporters are trained to seek explicit, informed consent from a parent or legal guardian before interviewing or photographing a minor, and to explain clearly how the material will be used. We do not publish identifying information about a minor unless it is essential to the story and we have a compelling public-interest justification.
Laura Arnold, who leads our fact-checking and standards work as Ansvarig för faktagranskning, personally reviews all content that names or images a minor under 18. This includes written articles, photographs, video and audio. She may require changes such as using a pseudonym, redacting a location, or blurring a face, even if a parent has given consent. Our aim is never to harm a child’s future prospects, schooling or social relationships through our journalism.
How does this relate to our editorial mission and other policies?
This safeguarding approach is a direct expression of Sonderbriefing’s editorial mission: trustworthy Swedish journalism that helps readers understand complex issues without spin or oversimplification. Protecting minors is not an obstacle to good reporting but a mark of responsible practice. Our Editorial Policy sets out the overall principles, and our Fact-Checking Policy describes how Laura Arnold’s team verifies sources.
We also operate within the legal framework of Sweden and the EU, including GDPR and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Any commercial or sponsored content that involves minors is treated under the same policy and labelled clearly per our Sponsored Content Policy. The same standard applies to any user-generated content or tips sent to our Tip Us page — we do not publish material featuring a minor without our Standards Lead’s sign-off.
How this works in practice
To illustrate, consider a story about a local school’s response to a cyberbullying incident. A reporter speaks to a 14-year-old student who wants to share their experience. The reporter first contacts the child’s parent, explains the story and the intended use, and obtains written consent. The reporter then interviews the child with a parent present. Laura Arnold reviews the draft article and decides that using only the child’s first name and a pseudonym for the school is sufficient to protect the minor while preserving the story’s credibility. The article is published with a note at the foot explaining that the minor’s identity has been protected at their family’s request. If the family later raises a concern, they can contact our complaints address and receive a prompt, individual response.
Ownership and responsibility for this policy
Sonderbriefing is owned and operated by Sonderbriefi Media Ltd., a private company registered in Gibraltar (company number C 92009, Malta Business Registry), with its registered office at Office 9, Business Centre, Valletta, 0000. The company is fully committed to the standards set out here. Ultimate editorial responsibility rests with Chefredaktör Tim Zimmermann, who can be reached at anders.lindqvist@sonderbriefing.de or +46 8 525 030 61. Day-to-day oversight of this policy is carried out by Laura Arnold, Ansvarig för faktagranskning, at emma.sandberg@sonderbriefing.de or +46 8 525 030 66.
If you have a concern about how a minor has been treated in our journalism, please contact our complaints team at complaints@sonderbriefing.de. We will acknowledge your email within two working days and provide a full response within 14 days. You can also learn more about our team at Our Team page.
In short
Every article at Sonderbriefing that involves a minor is reviewed by our Standards Lead Laura Arnold, and we always seek parental consent before publishing any identifying information. This policy exists to protect children and young people while still allowing us to report on stories of genuine public importance.