Časoris Editorial Charter
Introduction
Časoris is an internationally awarded online newspaper for children, with a special mission: to inform, inspire, and encourage children to become curious, compassionate, and responsible citizens of the world.
On our website and mobile app, we publish daily free, short, up-to-date, reliable, and age-appropriate news from Slovenia and around the world, as well as content on sports, culture, science, and educational articles that help children understand current events and the world around them.
Children follow us because they are curious about the world and expect accurate, clear, and trustworthy information. We present current events in a simple, understandable, and child-friendly way, and our articles are accompanied by questions for reflection.
By reading Časoris, children learn what news is, how the media work, and how to apply information in everyday life. In doing so, we foster their critical thinking and media literacy.
As a children’s media outlet, we have a special responsibility to uphold the highest journalistic standards and to protect our young readers from disinformation, manipulation, and harmful content. Our editorial team is committed to truth, fairness, impartiality, and professional integrity.
This Editorial Charter defines the principles and mechanisms through which we safeguard our editorial independence and demonstrate our commitment to quality and responsible journalism.
I. Editorial Independence
Časoris maintains full editorial independence from all external and internal influences, including from government bodies, political parties, corporations, funders, or the administrative structures of its own organisation.
Although the founder, director, and editor-in-chief is the same person, this does not compromise editorial independence.
All editorial decisions are made exclusively based on journalistic principles and the needs of our child audience, separate from the organisation’s financial or administrative operations.
Our editorial policy and public commitment to professional journalistic standards serve as safeguards and mechanisms for protecting editorial integrity.
To safeguard editorial autonomy, we implement the following measures:
- No external interference: No individual, organisation, donor, sponsor, or public authority has any influence over our editorial policy.
- No prior review: Our editorial policy and content are never subject to prior review or approval by business partners, advertisers, or funders.
- Zero tolerance for pressure: We categorically reject any attempt to influence or obstruct editorial decisions.
II. Sources of Funding
Časoris is funded through a diverse mix of sources, including grants, project-based funding, and donations.
To ensure long-term sustainability and editorial independence, we actively avoid reliance on a single source of funding.
The publication of Časoris is also made possible through support in the form of media space purchase, without which editorial content would not be possible; however, supporters have no influence over the editorial content.
- We regularly and transparently publish information about our funding.
- Content produced in cooperation with partners who support us through media space purchase is clearly marked.
- Partners may oversee only their own paid posts, which are also clearly marked, and have no editorial control over our journalistic content.
III. Commitment to Professional Journalism
Časoris adheres to professional and ethical journalism standards as defined by:
- the Munich Declaration of the Duties and Rights of Journalists,
- the Code of Journalists of Slovenia,
- and the Guidelines for Reporting on Children.
Our editorial work is based on:
- Fact-checking: All content is based on verified, traceable, and credible sources. Wherever possible, we use primary sources.
- Accuracy and accountability: Errors are corrected transparently and as quickly as possible.
- Impartiality and fairness: Facts are presented in a balanced and objective way, taking into account different perspectives.
- Respect for rights: We respect human dignity, privacy, and the identity of individuals—especially children.
- Avoidance of stereotypes: We avoid racial, gender, age-based, religious, ethnic, and geographical stereotypes, as well as those related to sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, and social status.
IV. Reporting on Children
As a children’s media outlet, Časoris places particular emphasis on ethical reporting about and for children though its Child Protection Policy:
- We define children as individuals under the age of 18.
- We carefully protect children’s personal data and identity.
- In everyday life situations where the publication does not pose a risk to the child’s best interest, we may disclose their identity.
- We pay special attention to children’s achievements in sports, culture, science, and community involvement.
V. Transparency and Public Accountability
- We communicate editorial decisions openly and respond to feedback and constructive criticism.
- We do not allow comments under articles but instead engage with readers and educators through educational programmes and direct communication.
- Editorial corrections are published transparently and clearly marked with the date and nature of the change.
VI. Conflicts of Interest
- All editorial staff must avoid conflicts of interest.
- Any real or perceived conflict must be reported immediately.
- In the case of a conflict of interest, the journalist or editor is excluded from working on the content in question.
VII. Cooperation with the Public
Časoris fosters a respectful and collaborative relationship with children, parents, teachers, and the wider public.
- We empower children to understand media and encourage them to become active citizens.
- We create content that helps children understand democracy, human rights, and social responsibility.
- We collaborate with educational institutions and civil society organisations but always retain full editorial control over content.
VIII. Use of Artificial Intelligence
Časoris does not use artificial intelligence in the preparation, editing, or publication of journalistic articles aimed at children.
We use AI only as a support tool for other editorial and administrative tasks, such as:
- searching for information and sources, which we then independently verify,
- assisting with translations of various texts used as a basis for our work,
- improving the clarity and stylistic consistency of documents related to projects or educational materials that are not part of the newspaper’s editorial content for children.
All editorial content in Časoris is produced by journalists and editors, who take full responsibility for its accuracy, reliability, and professional integrity.
Whenever we use artificial intelligence, we do so responsibly and in accordance with our editorial values, especially with respect for credibility, accuracy, privacy, and ethical standards.
Conclusion
Editorial independence is at the heart of Časoris’s mission: to provide children with trustworthy, high-quality journalism.
Through this Editorial Charter, we reaffirm our responsibility to protect editorial integrity and to ensure that our content remains free from external influence, guided solely by the best interests of children and the highest journalistic standards.
Last updated: 21 March 2025
Projects, Grants, Support and Awards
In 2025, we received the 1st prize at the SozialMarie Award Ceremony in Vienna, one of the most prestigious awards for innovative social projects in Central and Eastern Europe.
In 2024, we became the founding member of Children’s News Europe. Dr. Sonja Merljak Zdovc received the Prometheus of Science award for excellence in science communication for Časoris’s media literacy portal.
In 2023, Časoris started mentoring children journalists through Google News Initiative News Equity Fund, received funding from US Embassy Ljubljana for its MIL4SF project, and also started the Creative Europe project YoCoJoin. The online newspaper Časoris received support from the Ministry of Culture.
In 2022, Časoris implemented the Erasmus+ project KidsTrustNews: Introducing Media Literacy and Civic Education Teaching in Schools through Quality Kids Media in partnership with the Bulgarian organisation Knigovishte.
Časoris was included in the GNI FT Strategies North Star programme as well as in the GNI NCI programme where it was recognized as one of the success stories.
In 2021, Časoris was named as an example of best practice in implementing media literacy in the ERGA Media Literacy Report and its editor, Sonja Merljak Zdovc, was included among #WomenInTheSpotlight by Creative EU, official European Commission account focusing on the creative & cultural sectors in Europe on Instagram. #WomenInTheSpotlight is Creative EU’s Instagram campaign supporting talented and creative women.
The project idea Časoris developed together with partners from North Macedonia during the Digital Communication Network and WorldLearning #DisinfoTraining in May and June and which Časoris’s editor pitched at #Roaring20sDigital conference won the first prize.
Časoris became a participant of the first ever GNI Startups Lab Europe – a six month programme designed to put news startups on the track to sustainability and innovation. The programme is organized by Media Lab Bayern, the European Journalism Center and the Google News Initiative.
Časoris was included in the GNI FT Strategies Rapid Response programme.
In 2020, it received a grant from Internews, an international nonprofit organisation, via its Information Saves Lives: Rapid Response Fund. Internews empowers people worldwide with the trustworthy, high-quality news and information they need to make informed decisions, participate in their communities, and hold power to account.
Časoris has also received funding from the European Journalism COVID-19 Support Fund to support us to produce a series of videos for children as well as coverage of related topics during the Covid-19 crisis.
In 2019, Časoris became a finalist of the first European Media Literacy Award. Additionally, its project Stories of Children from around the World won both the Intercultural Achievement Award in the media category, as well as the Clarinet Project in the Web and Social Media category.
How it all started
Časoris was created in April of 2015 – in the aftermath of the January’s terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
At the time, many parents were wondering how to explain what happened to their children.
An article about how a French newspaper for children did just that reminded us that we have no such medium for children and their parents in Slovenia and it encouraged us to launch Časoris.
Today, it is considered as Positive Online Content by Better Internet for Kids.
Časoris is published by Časoris, Information and Education Institute. It is edited by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, and a team of journalists, copyeditors, teachers and other professionals contributes regularly. Additionally, children share their stories in a special section.
In a special section we also publish additional information for parents and teachers.
Časoris is dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive culture amongst the whole workforce. It is within our best interest to promote diversity and eliminate discrimination in the workplace. Therefore, Časoris has signed the Diversity Charter of Slovenia, and the editor Sonja Merljak Zdovc is also one of the Slovenian diversity ambassadors.
You may contact us at: urednistvo@casoris.si.
Sonja’s personal statement
I love being a journalist. I believe this is the most beautiful profession in the world. When I became one, we used to say that we want to bring peace to the world. Just like the ladies at the Miss of the World competition.
However, in the last decades journalism became a dying profession. And the media, so crucial to democracy, began to lose their readers, listeners, viewers.
Additionally, with the growing amount of information available on various channels people began to feel they know enough and that they can have any kind of information for free.
Children growing up today live in the world of TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and You Tube. And they do not see their parents read newspapers or watch the news as we did.
With a generation of readers already lost, I began to think what I could do to help. I came up with a solution: an online newspaper for children.
Online, because children are on the web. Newspaper, because I wanted them to read serious news, not just the fun staff.
I created Časoris.
It is aimed at very young children, those who won’t read the news on their own. But they are trustful souls and if the adults they respect, their teachers and parents, tell them it is good to read the newspaper, they will listen.
This way we can hope that when they become teenagers, they will develop a habit of reading reliable sources of information. And when a popular You Tuber will tell them that the EU directive will ban memes, they will know where to double check their facts.
But Časoris was not enough. At the time it was created, fake news became a household term. A lot of people began to lose trust in the media even though social media play a much bigger role in the spread of disinformation.
So we developed workshops to help children learn how spot fake news, how to discern fact from opinion, and also how to create media, news stories or videos. They for example made a video on fake news, and I wrote a textbook.
With this set of tools that we continue to develop, we hope to help them to become informed and active citizens. And I hope that by creating a new generation of readers I will help to restore the trust in the media; that I will help to save the profession I love so much; and that I will thus contribute my piece for peace.
