Minister for Women and Child Development Veena George has called for a child-friendly approach to journalism.
She was speaking after inaugurating a meeting on child-friendly journalism organised by the Kerala Media Academy in association with UNICEF here on Friday.
The Minister pointed out that children were a section who did not know or think about their rights. Details of children involved in issues leading to legal disputes should not be publicised. No information that could lead to identification of a child, even the details of parents, should be disclosed. However, news reports often hid or blurred a child’s face but gave out other details.
She stressed the need to take children’s inclinations into account while conducting interviews with them or filming them. There should be nothing spoken that causes them distress. All details should be made clear to the child and parent before being published, the Minister said.
Kerala Media Academy chairperson R.S. Babu presided over the event.
