The master's thesis examines the right of children to privacy in the media, with a focus on legal and ethical frameworks and their implementation in Slovenian journalism. The aim of the research is to identify discrepancies between legislation and media practice in reporting on children and to highlight the consequences of such reporting on children's private lives, as violations of children's privacy rights occur despite existing laws and ethical guidelines. The theoretical part presents key international and national legal instruments: Convention on the Rights of the Child, Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia, Media Act, Personal Data Protection Act (ZVOP-2) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), etc., as well as journalistic ethics in the context of reporting on vulnerable groups. The empirical part includes a case study of media reporting on the removal of children from families between 2020 and 2024, a content analysis of articles published in the media outlets of four Slovenian mediacompanies (RTV Slovenija, PRO PLUS, Svet 24 and Delo), and interviews with two journalists and an editor from RTV Slovenija, PRO PLUS and Svet 24. The findings show that the right of children to privacy is often not adequately protected, particularly in the digital environment and in cases involving family tragedies. Special attention is given to the impact of social media and the actions of parents who, by sharing content about their children, co-create their digital footprint. Based on the findings, recommendations are made to improve the protection of children's privacy in the media and to promote more responsible journalistic practices.
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