be so far ahead of our time that our policies will be impractical; but we do desire to be abreast of the best thought of the time, and if possible t& be its guide. It is not true that a newspaper should be only as advanced in its ethical atmosphere as it conceives the average of its readers to be. No man who is not in ethical advance of the average of his community should be in the profession of journalism. We declare therefore as follows:
- We will keep our writings and our publications free from unrefinement, except so far as we may sincerely believe publication of sordid details to be for the social good.
- We will consider all that we write or publish for public consumption in the light of its effect upon social policy, refraining from writing or from publishing if we believe our material to be socially detrimental.
- We will regard our privilege of writing for publication or publishing for public consumption as an enterprise that is social as well as commercial in character, and therefore will at all times have an eye against doing anything counter to social interest.
- We believe it an essential part of this policy that we shall not be respecters of persons.
VII. Advertising and Circulation
We repudiate the principle of "letting the buyer beware." We cannot agree to guarantee advertising, but we assume a definite attitude toward the advertising that we write, solicit, or print. We believe that the same canons of truth and justice should apply in advertising and circulation as we are adopting for news and editorial matter. We therefore agree to the following business principles:
- We will cooperate with those social interests whose business it is to raise the ethical standard of advertising.
- We will discourage and bar from our columns advertising which in our belief in intended to deceive the reader in his estimate of what is advertised. (This clause is intended to cover the many phases of fraud, and unfair competition, and the advertising of articles that seem likely to be harmful to the purchaser's morals or health.)
- We will not advertise our own newspaper or its circulation boastfully, or otherwise, in terms not in harmony with the clauses of this code of ethics. (This is intended to cover misleading statements to the public or to advertisers as to the whole number of copies printed, number of paid-up subscribers, number of street sales, and percentage of local circulation.)
- We will not make our printing facilities available for the production of advertising which we believe to be socially harmful or fraudulent in its intent.
To the foregoing code we subscribe heartily as a part of our duty to society and of our belief that the salvation of the world can come only through the acceptance and practice by the people of the world of a sound and practical ethical philosophy.
Code of Ethics for Newspapers
Proposed by W. E. Miller of the St. Mary's Star
and
Adopted by the Kansas State Editorial Association at the State Convention of the Kansas Editorial Association, March 8, 1910
For the Publisher
In Advertising
Definition.—Advertising is news, or views, of a business or professional enterprise which leads directly to its profits or increased business.
News of the industrial or commercial development of an institution which in no way has a specific bearing upon the merits of its products is not advertising.
Besides news which leads to a profit advertising also includes communications and reports, cards of thanks, etc., over the space of which the Editor has no control. Charges for the latter become more in the nature of a penalty to restrict their publication.
Responsibility.—The authorship of an advertisement should be so plainly stated in the context or at the end that it could not
