This page explains how UKBullet.uk approaches reporting on children and young people. If you are a reader, a parent, educator, or someone featured in our coverage, you will find here the standards we follow and how to raise any concerns about content involving minors.
Why does UKBullet.uk have a specific policy for covering minors?
UKBullet.uk recognises that children and young people require additional protection in journalism. Our safeguarding policy ensures we report fairly, accurately, and responsibly without causing harm to minors, whether they are subjects, sources, or bystanders in a story.
The unique vulnerability of young people means that routine editorial principles around privacy, consent, and harm reduction must be applied more strictly. We treat any story that identifies, images, or quotes a minor with extra care, and we never treat a child’s involvement as a cheap way to attract attention. This policy is part of our broader commitment to ethical journalism, detailed in our Editorial Policy.
What do we avoid when reporting on minors?
We avoid sensationalising minors, publishing unnecessary private details, or using invasive imagery. Our editorial team follows clear guidelines to protect children’s identities and wellbeing, particularly in sensitive contexts such as crime, family proceedings, or health issues.
Specifically, UKBullet.uk will not:
- name a minor without parental or guardian consent, unless there is a clear public interest justification that outweighs potential harm;
- publish personal details such as home address, school name (if that could identify the child in a negative context), or medical history unless strictly necessary and editorially justified;
- use images of minors that are intrusive, degrading, or taken without appropriate permission;
- sensationalise a minor’s involvement in a story, for example by using emotive language that implies blame or victimisation beyond the facts.
In all cases, the welfare of the child takes precedence over the speed or novelty of a report. Our Editorial Policy sets out the full principles that guide these decisions.
How this works in practice
UKBullet.uk applies its safeguarding policy to every story involving a minor, from school achievements to court cases. A concrete example: suppose our Politics & Public Affairs Editor, Hannah Wells, commissions a piece about a local youth organisation’s campaign on climate policy. The article might include an interview with a 15-year-old organiser. Before publication, Martin Hale, our Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, reviews the piece to ensure the child’s privacy is protected — checking that we have written consent from a parent or guardian, that we have not included identifying details like the exact school name, and that any photograph used is appropriate and properly cleared. The article is then edited to include a note linking to our Privacy Policy, so readers and the young person’s family understand how data is handled. This extra review step happens for every story that features a minor in any substantive way, even if the child is not the main subject.
Who oversees these standards?
Martin Hale, our Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, reviews all editorial content involving minors. He works closely with Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Price and the wider newsroom to ensure compliance with this policy and to address any concerns that arise during reporting or after publication.
Martin’s role includes training journalists on best practices, checking sources for age-related sensitivities, and maintaining a log of any decisions to depart from routine guidelines (for example, if naming a minor is deemed in the public interest). You can learn more about Martin and the rest of the team on our Our Team page.
What about privacy and data protection?
UKBullet.uk follows strict privacy protections for all individuals, with additional safeguards for minors. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal data, including children’s information — for instance, we never collect or store data from children without verifiable parental consent, and we minimise retention of any material that could identify young people.
We also ensure that any content published about minors complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, as well as relevant guidelines from the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) where applicable. If you believe a story about a minor has infringed on privacy rights, you can raise it directly with our complaints team.
Who operates UKBullet.uk?
UKBullet.uk is operated by Valletta Wharf Media Limited, a private company limited by shares registered in Malta (company number C 85603). While the operating company is based in Malta, all editorial decisions concerning minors are made by our UK-based newsroom under the oversight of Eleanor Price and Martin Hale. This structure does not affect the protections we offer to children and young people — they apply regardless of where the company is legally registered.
How can I raise a concern or report a breach?
If you believe UKBullet.uk has published content about a minor that violates this safeguarding policy, please contact our complaints team at complaints@ukbullet.uk. We take every concern seriously and will investigate promptly, with a response target of five working days.
Our full Complaints Procedure explains how we handle complaints, including escalations to regulatory bodies if we cannot resolve the issue internally. We encourage parents, guardians, educators, and the young people themselves to speak up if something feels wrong — we are committed to putting things right.
In short
UKBullet.uk is committed to reporting on children and young people with extra care, respect, and transparency. Every story involving a minor is reviewed by our Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, and we avoid sensationalism, unnecessary private details, and invasive imagery. If you have a concern, please email complaints@ukbullet.uk — we will listen and act.