Hauptfokus (hauptfokus.de) is committed to the highest standards of care when covering children and young people in our journalism. Our Standards Lead for safeguarding, Melanie Hartmann (Ansvarig för faktagranskning), reviews all articles that feature or reference minors, ensuring compliance with our editorial policy and fact-checking standards. Any concerns about our coverage of minors should be directed to complaints@hauptfokus.de. For more on our team and editorial principles, see /our-team/ and /editorial-policy/.
Who owns Hauptfokus and how is the publication funded?
Hauptfokus is owned and operated by Alpen Press Ltd., a private company registered in Gibraltar (company number 132587, Companies House Gibraltar; registered office: Office 3.7, ICC, Casemates Square, Gibraltar, GX11 1AA). The publication is funded through display advertising, affiliate links, commercial partnerships, sponsored content, newsletter sponsorships and content licensing. Sponsored and commercial material is clearly labelled, and affiliate links are disclosed. For full details, see /ownership-funding/ and /advertising-affiliate-disclosure/.
Who is responsible for safeguarding minors in our editorial process?
Melanie Hartmann, our Standards Lead for fact-checking and source verification, is responsible for the additional review of any content involving minors. She ensures that all articles meet our safeguarding guidelines before publication. Any member of the public may raise concerns by emailing complaints@hauptfokus.de. See /our-team/ for the full editorial team.
What extra steps do we take when reporting on children?
We apply a higher threshold of justification when identifying or quoting a minor. We consider the child’s safety, privacy and best interests above all else, and we seek consent from parents or guardians whenever possible. Our fact-checking policy at /fact-checking-policy/ sets out the verification standards we follow.
How do we ensure editorial independence from commercial influences?
Commercial relationships, including sponsorship and advertising, never determine editorial conclusions. Our editorial policy at /editorial-policy/ explicitly states that sponsored content is clearly labelled, and our news decisions are made independently. See also /sponsored-content-policy/ for details.
Our commitments
- We commit to always prioritising the welfare and dignity of minors in our reporting.
- We commit to conducting additional review by our Standards Lead for any article involving a child.
- We commit to seeking consent from parents or guardians before interviewing or photographing minors.
- We commit to clearly labelling sponsored or commercial content involving minors.
- We commit to responding promptly to any safeguarding concerns raised via complaints@hauptfokus.de.