Page:The Practice of the Kansas Code of Ethics for Newspapers.pdf/4

182 be charged a fixed percentage above the established rate of the paper, and no contracts should be signed wherein a failure to give the position required results in a greater reduction from the established rate than the position premium is greater than the established rate.

Comparison. We consider it be- neath the dignity of a publisher to place in his columns statements which make invidious comparisons between the amount of advertising carried or the circulation of his paper and that of his competitor.

Press Agents and Unpaid Advertising. The specific trade name of an article of commerce, or the name of a merchant, manufacturer or professional man With Reference to his wares, products, or labors should not be mentioned in a pure news story.

We condemn as against moral decency the publication of any advertisement which will Obviously lead to any form of retrogression, such as private medical personals, indecent massage parlor advertisements, private matrimonial advertisements, physician's or hospital's advertisement for the care of private diseases, which carry in them any descriptive or suggestive matter of the same.

Under the "responsibility for advertisements," the Code discusses two important phases: First, there is the matter of unsigned advertisements. The Code declares unqualifiedly that any matter for which payment is made, shall be clearly marked as such.

It is notable that there is no limitation as to distinction in typography for advertisements from news. Mr. Miller in his printed article says: "I have no objection to practically any method's being used by the advertiser to induce the reader to read his advertisement, provided the reader learns before he is through that it is an advertisement." Many Kansas editors believe that there is distinct room for argument on this point. Also, it must be admitted that newspapers in some instances are careless in meeting the present legal requirements that advertisements be plainly marked or distinguished from unpaid matter. On the other hand, this carelessness is becoming less noticeable and there can be no doubt of the attitude of disapproval of the practice of former years of carrying "paid readers" as news matter.

The second phase of responsibilities considered by the Code exonerates the publisher from any degree of re- sponsibility for statements in the ad- vertisements. Since 1910 such pub- lications as Good Housekeeping, the New York Tribune and others have assumed responsibility for statements in their advertisements, and it has been stated by representatives of these publications that the practice of as- suming such responsibility has been good business from a practical stand- point. The natural conclusion is that a distinct step may be taken in advance of the Kansas Code in regard to re- sponsibility. In Kansas, no news- papers, as far as the writer knows, so obligate themselves.

The plank concerning "freedom of space" has more to do with the problems coming before a small-town editor. It is noted that the only limitation which the Code assumes as to freedom of space is that of moral decency in the advertising matter.

"In the case of many questionable speculative propositions there may be objection to this interpretation of the freedom of space," Mr. Miller states. "Upon these I hold that the freedom of space demands that we take the money, print the advertisement, but see that the copy is so worded that the responsibility rests entirely with the promoter. We do not run speculative assurity associations to protect people from their misjudgments," he concludes.