Our Editorial Guidlines

Introduction: Children are an incredibly important and precious resource, and are often the most rewarding audience to offer challenging and exciting programming. 

The Wireless Theatre Company (WTC) has, as of 2009, decided in the face of ever decreasing children’s broadcasting, to fight back and offer quality audio content for the under 18’s market.

As resources and children’s content dwindles to be virtually non-existent in the radio sector, WTC has made the decision to expand its remit and create new audio and MP3 content specifically for children, not just here in the UK, but all over the world. As such, given the important nature of children and their development, WTC has a responsibility to this audience and to protect it. Therefore, these guidelines are created to clarify what content is editorially and legally acceptable, in line with Ofcom and the BBC’s online and radio standards, allowing us to create safe, exciting, inspiring online audio drama.

Some of these guidelines have been specifically adjusted for the needs of WTC (in CAPITALS), or removed as they are television specific, and as such, do not apply to WTC (such as “Watershed”,“nudity”)

SECTION ONE and SECTION TWO are the legal requirements for children’s output, incorporating and combining Section One and Two of Ofcom Regulations and Section Eight and Nine of BBC Editorial Guidelines for Children.

PART THREE in no way relates to the Ofcom or BBC Guidelines; instead< contains suggestions on how Children’s Wireless could work within legal and acceptable editorial boundaries, along with specific breakdowns for particular age bands and what could be acceptable. 

PART FOUR is for additional ideas that could be incorporated into the Children’s Website in time. 

SECTION ONE: PROTECTING UNDER 18’S: Relevant legislation includes, in particular, sections 3(4)(h) and 319(2)(a) and (f) of the Communications Act 2003, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.)

This section must be read in conjunction with Section Two: Harm and Offence.

Principle: To ensure that people under the age of eighteen are protected.

Children's editorial principles: We must ensure that the physical and emotional welfare and the dignity of people under the age of eighteen, and in particular children under fifteen, are protected during the making and broadcast of programmes and online content, irrespective of any consent given by them or by a parent, guardian or other person in loco parentis. 

We must ensure that children and young people are not caused unnecessary anxiety or distress by their involvement in programmes or by their broadcast. Their involvement must be clearly editorially justified and support should be given to them where necessary.  

Online child protection: We aim to ensure that children and young people taking advantage of our changing technologies understand the possible risks they face and how to minimise them. The online protection of children is a shared responsibility between the WTC, parent/guardian and the child.