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Media reports of children in care and “out-of-home” care can have an impact on attitudes towards children, caregivers, institutions and people who work in the system of care. The main objective of this study was to determine to what extent and how Croatian daily newspapers presented children in care during 2014. Quantitative content analysis of printed newspaper articles (Croatian national (1) and regional (3) daily newspapers) was conducted1. Children in “outof-home” care are rarely covered (n = 78), media coverage is mostly focused on negative stories, and “episodic” or “case based”. Children are predominantly portrayed as “poor children”, victims of parental conflict, neglect and domestic violence. News media still violate children’s right to privacy and participation in the media, often using sensational content and style. Of all forms of “out-ofhome” care, only news of foster care are presented in a positive context.
