Catholic Press Association updates ethics code

Published: 2004-06-01

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- By a unanimous vote May 28 the Catholic Press Association adopted a new Fair Publishing Practices Code. The code, the first update in nearly 20 years, covers ethics in photojournalism for the first time and takes account of the significant technological changes in the Catholic publishing world, including the massive growth in the Internet and electronic publishing since the code was last revised in 1985. It addresses fair-publishing practices in news and editorial content, photography, freelance work, intellectual property rights, advertising, and marketing, circulation and promotion. It also deals with questions of conflict of interest and spells out procedures to be followed when a CPA member is accused of violating the code. It says news and opinion should be clearly distinguished in publications and any "advertorials" -- paid-for editorial material -- must be clearly labeled as paid advertising. The CPA is an association of more than 300 Catholic publishers in the United States and Canada and more than 400 individuals associated with Catholic publications, mainly as writers, photographers, editors or advertising or circulation officers.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .