July 9, 2002

The NYC IMC Print Team will accept advertising in the Indypendent based on the following context and within the rules established below.

ADVERTISING IN SOCIETY AND THE INDYPENDENT
The NYC IMC Print Team is committed to producing media that spreads a vision of a more just, equitable and ecologically balanced society. Print Team members recognize that advertising has a prominent if largely negative place
in present society, and that corporations and mainstream media rely on advertising to support themselves.

We produce the Indypendent to demonstrate an alternate model of media-making and to rally our neighbors to support social justice movements. We also recognize that our work is paralleled by thousands of other individuals and
organizations who are equally active and committed to justice.

As a result, we believe advertising can be a positive mechanism for supporting and spreading the work of other social justice and independent media organizations. Just as corporations and wealthy individuals use advertising to disseminate their views, the Indypendent will use advertising to contribute to a grassroots network of people and organizations sharing our love for justice. Advertising can be a tool turned upon those in power, a service to our readers, and the Indypendent’s contribution to building networks that are healthy for our communities.

In addition, members recognize that a high-quality and citywide newspaper requires funding, and that the Indypendent has recently established itself as a monthly, 20-page publication with a 10,000 copy print run. This
success necessitates a higher level of funding than ever before. Our commitment to producing the best newspaper possible will require an equal effort in identifying new, sustainable, and multiple sources of funding. We resolve that advertising will be one of these multiple sources, including a sustainer program, increased subscriptions, benefits, grants and other possibilities.

ADVERTISING POLICIES
1. Under no circumstances will advertising or advertisers exert any influence over the paper’s editorial decisions. This includes but is not limited to the choice of which articles to print, the content of any individual article, or the paper’s commitment to city-wide distribution.

2. The Indypendent will exclusively seek and accept advertising from other social justice and independent media individuals and organizations that are contributing to a shared vision of a more equitable world.

3. There are advertisements that the Indypendent will not accept under any circumstance. Examples include advertisements from or supporting political candidates, political parties, franchised businesses, or large corporations.

The Indypendent will not knowingly accept advertising from or in support of any entity or individual that has a substantiated record of abuse, mistreatment or exploitation of their employees or other individuals. The Indypendent will not accept any ad considered offensive or prejudicial.

4. Advertising will comprise no more than 15 percent of the total printed space in any issue of the paper. Ad placement is a crucial issue. The Indypendent will not sell ad space on the front or back cover, pages two or three, the center spread, or on the first person page. It is recommended that ads be placed in page corners, on the lower page half, and/or in the margins to ensure that advertising remains subordinate to news content throughout the issue.

5. There will be three common sizes for ads to help standardize layout. The following table provides detail:

Ad Size Page Fraction Single Ad Rate* Multiple Ad Rate**
3¼’’ x 3’’ One-fourteenth $50.00 $40.00
4¾’’ x 3½” One-eighth $75.00 $60.00
5” x 4½” One-sixth $100.00 $80.00
*Based on rate suggested by the Independent Press Association (NYC)
**Indicates rate for a minimum of three ads

The Indypendent will adjust its ad sizes and rates as members accumulate additional experience and knowledge.

6. The evaluation and acceptance/denial of an ad or series of ads is an operational decision delegated to the Finance working group of the Print Team.

7. There is a need for a transparent process in evaluating ads. To ensure that all Print Team members are duly informed, the Finance working group is obligated to make an advance announcement of at least 24 hours if an ad will be considered at the next meeting. Objections to accepting an ad must be made in person at the Finance meeting at which an ad is proposed. If a member cannot attend they must designate a proxy to voice their opinion for them. All decisions to run or not run an ad will be made via the Print Team consensus process.

8. Notwithstanding the above policies, the collective Print Team reserves the right not to accept any advertisement for any reason it deems proper.

The Print Team may review and amend its advertisement policy as it sees fit.

9. The Print Team will review the performance of its advertising policy after 6 months (i.e. January 2003), to identify successes and shortcomings, and assess whether and in what manner to continue.