The second day of the Child-Focused Journalism Workshop organized by BIA was completed with intensive practices in the field of child rights and ethical journalism. In the sessions conducted by Bianet Child News Editor Nalin Öztekin, participants worked on how to establish news language by considering the best interests of children, detecting and correcting rights violations in news texts, interview techniques with children, and editor desk applications.
In the "Is the News Child-Friendly?" session, it was emphasized that the language used in news containing violence and crime should avoid disclosing children's identities and stigmatizing expressions. It was pointed out that detailed reporting of violence not only provides information but also carries the risk of reproducing violence. In the "Rights Violation Hunt" session, participants identified problematic expressions such as unnecessarily specifying children's gender and sensational language use, and collaboratively rewrote the news texts.
In the "Transform Biased News" session, news headlines and text language were reconsidered; special attention was given to the way violence is conveyed and the confidentiality of children's identities. In the "Interview Simulation" session, techniques such as establishing physical and emotional distance in communication with children, creating a safe space, and the Socratic questioning method were practically experienced. Participants observed that accusatory questions shut children down, while open-ended and narrowed questions elicited more responses.
In the Editor Desk session, child-focused news was produced on topics such as early marriage, digital abuse, and child labor. The visibility of the perpetrator in the news, emphasizing structural causes, and protecting the child's identity confidentiality were primary discussion topics. In the final part of the workshop, participants agreed that child-focused journalism requires an ethical transformation and that goodwill alone is not sufficient. It was reminded that language that does not consider children's rights can inadvertently lead to rights violations.
The workshop was held in cooperation with BIA and Izmir University of Economics within the scope of the Accountability for Children Advocacy for Rights (ACAR) Project co-financed by the European Union and UNICEF. The event, attended by journalists, students, and social service experts from different provinces of Turkey, aims to increase awareness and practical skills in the field of child rights and ethical journalism.
