In journalism, quality is often more important than quantity, and profit is frequently given precedence over ethical values and principles. In their reports, journalists often resort to sensationalism and an invasion of an individual's privacy. It becomes an even larger issue when the subject of the aformentioned acts are underage children – the society's most vulnerable members. This group can increase the newspaper publishers' profits, since tragic news stories involving children easily arouse the readers' emotions. A number of international acts had bern designed with the aim of regulating the media reports on the group. Caution is required when writing a report on underage children, since any unnecessarily disclosed information can impact the children in the future; by doing this, journalists breach their privacy. However, in some instances it is difficult to appoint what is more important: the right to privacy or the public interest. It is recommended that the media develop their own self-regulation mechanisms in order to avoid unethical practices. Reporting on children who are victims of domestic abuse can be especially difficult. The aim of the research carried out for this thesis is to investigate how two Croatian news websites, Večernji.hr and 24sata.hr, had reported on the tragic case of Nikoll Dedić, a child who had died as a result of abuse by her mother. The case had received wide media coverage. A quantitative analysis of the media content was conducted in order to ascertain whether or not the media had approached the topic sensationally or revealed the girl's private information, and to determine the main topics of the news articles. The research results showed a positive shift compared to previous research. To specify, a fifth of the news articles had covered the details of Nikoll's life and death, and her face had appeared on a newspaper front cover in slightly less than ten per cent of cases. A minority of headlines had contained emotional cues and exaggeration, and the media had turned the spotlight on the Croatian social welfare system, thus having encouraged the system to change for the better. Great importance is attached to such and similar research, as they point out journalists' and newspaper publishers' oversights when reporting on such complex issues that involve children. In order to make a change, it is necessary to raise awareness of the issue, educate oneself and respect the law.