Scope and application
TradeWireUK.uk takes its responsibility towards minors seriously. This policy sets out the additional care we apply when covering young people (under 18), family members of public figures, schools, youth organisations, or any story involving children – including the children of business figures, athletes and celebrities we profile. Our editorial approach prioritises the welfare and dignity of minors over the commercial or publicity value of a story.
What we avoid
- Sensationalising minors or treating them as entertaining subjects
- Publishing unnecessary private details such as school names, residential addresses, birth dates or routines
- Using invasive imagery, including photographs taken without consent or that reveal a child’s location or daily habits
- Disclosing non-public information about a child’s health, education, family circumstances or other personal data
Where a minor is incidentally mentioned in the course of a story about a parent or guardian, we limit information to what is clearly relevant to the public-interest context of the piece.
Public-interest context
Coverage that involves minors is narrowly focused on matters that warrant public scrutiny – for example, where a child’s safety is at issue, where a public figure’s behaviour has a direct impact on their children, or where a story concerns the welfare of a young person in the corporate or sporting environment. We do not publish details that merely satisfy curiosity or add colour without a legitimate journalistic purpose.
Additional editorial review
Any story that names or identifies a minor, or that could reasonably lead to a minor being identified, must be flagged before publication. The Standards & Fact-Checking Lead reviews such content to ensure it complies with this policy and with our broader Editorial Policy. Where appropriate, we consult the Managing Editor and, in sensitive cases, seek external guidance from child-safeguarding specialists. This additional layer of review applies whether the minor is a primary subject or a secondary figure in the story.
Privacy protections
We apply the same rigorous approach to privacy that governs all our reporting, with heightened protections for minors. We avoid publishing private addresses, private contact information, non-public medical information or any identifying details of vulnerable individuals unless there is a clear and demonstrable public-interest reason to do so. In all other cases, we anonymise or omit such data. Readers can find our full approach to data handling in the Privacy Policy.
Reporting concerns
If you believe that content published by TradeWireUK.uk fails to meet the standards set out in this policy – for example, by revealing information about a minor in a way that puts them at risk or that lacks legitimate public interest – please contact us immediately at complaints@tradewireuk.uk or use our Complaints Procedure. We investigate every concern promptly and, where a breach is identified, will remove or amend the content and reflect the corrective action in our corrections log.