In response to a mounting public debate on minors' rights in media, Deputy Ombudsman Tone Dolcic has underlined that the public's right to information can not trample children's right to privacy. Media owners and journalists lack proper awareness of the damage media exposure can inflict on children, Dolcic says.

According to Dolcic, this is especially true for the yellow press, which in general disregards the rights of others to pursue its interests. "The law on media must include measures to make media owners think whether it pays off to infringe children's rights or not", Dolcic says.

However, the dilemma between wanting to help children and maintain their rights is sometimes a hard one, Dolcic admits. "While media spotlight can sometimes help to solve some problems, it is definitely not only the media that make those responsible to do their jobs."

Journalist Alma Sedlar, a member of Slovenia's Honorary Journalists Tribunal, agrees, saying that media often point up the errors of relevant institutions. "With this, we helped solve a number of child's issues," she says.

However, revealing a child's identity in the media should be tolerable only when this could contribute considerably to solving the child's problems.

"In a community where everyone knows everyone, a child whose identity is made known can be tarnished for life. Even their parents or guardians lack this understanding, and they sometimes even encourage the media to expose the child," she says.