As a reader of Canada Edition, you expect journalism that is both truthful and responsible. This page explains how we handle editorial content involving minors – anyone under 18 – to protect their safety, privacy and dignity. It also tells you what to do if you have a concern about a minor in our coverage.
What does this policy cover?
This policy applies to every article, photograph, video or audio piece published by Canada Edition that mentions, quotes, depicts or otherwise includes a minor. It covers children and teenagers who are sources, subjects of stories, participants in events, or bystanders captured in our reporting. The same care extends to user-generated content we publish, such as comments or tips that identify a young person.
Our goal is to balance the public interest in a story with the heightened vulnerability of minors. We treat consent, anonymity and contextual sensitivity as non‑negotiable requirements, not afterthoughts.
How do we ensure extra scrutiny for stories involving children?
Every piece of content that touches on a minor receives a mandatory second review by our Standards Lead, Andrew Leblanc. Andrew oversees fact‑checking and source verification, and he decides whether additional protections are needed. You can read more about his role on our team page and about our overall editorial policy.
The review covers:
- Consent: For identifiable interviews or images of a minor, we obtain written consent from a parent or legal guardian. In breaking‑news situations where that is not immediately possible, we assess whether the public interest outweighs the risk of publishing, and we delay or anonymise the content until consent is secured.
- Anonymisation: As a default, we do not name minors accused of, or involved in, criminal or disciplinary proceedings unless doing so is clearly in the public interest and approved by the Editor‑in‑Chief and Andrew Leblanc jointly. We also consider blurring faces and withholding personal details in less sensitive coverage, such as school‑event photos, unless parents have given prior broad consent.
- Context: We avoid exploiting a minor’s distress, trauma or vulnerability for narrative effect. Language that sensationalises a child’s experience is removed during the editorial review.
How this works in practice
Consider a story about a local science‑fair winner in Toronto. Our Municipal Affairs Editor, Hannah Walsh, assigns a reporter to interview the 14‑year‑old winner and take photos. Before publishing, the reporter contacts the parent to explain how the child’s name, school and image will appear. The parent signs a consent form. When the draft reaches Andrew Leblanc, he confirms the consent is on file and that the article does not include any private information – such as the child’s home address – that is not essential to the news. The story runs with a photo that clearly shows the child’s face. In a different case – say, a teenager involved in a neighbourhood dispute that does not rise to a criminal matter – Andrew would direct that we omit the minor’s name and blur the face in any photo, even if a parent initially agreed. The default is privacy unless a strong public‑interest reason overrides it.
Who is responsible for this policy?
Ultimate editorial responsibility rests with Catherine Roy, Editor‑in‑Chief. She approves any exceptional decision to override the default protections. Andrew Leblanc, as Standards Lead, conducts the mandatory second review on all minor‑related content and maintains the policy itself. The policy is owned by Northern Beacon Media Inc., the Ontario corporation that operates Canada Edition. Our ownership and funding structure is disclosed at /ownership-funding/.
How to report a concern about a minor in our coverage
If you believe a minor has been treated unfairly, identified without proper consent, or put at risk by something we have published, please contact us immediately at complaints@canadaedition.org. That inbox is monitored by Catherine Roy and Andrew Leblanc. We will acknowledge your complaint within two business days and investigate promptly. You can also reach us through our general contact page.
For less urgent questions about this policy, email info@canadaedition.org.
In short
Canada Edition treats the safety and privacy of minors as a core editorial responsibility. Every story involving a child is reviewed individually, with extra oversight from our Standards Lead, and we err on the side of protection whenever there is doubt. If you see something that concerns you, we want to hear about it – your vigilance helps us maintain the trust that all our readers deserve.