This advertising policy was drawn up by the board of West Leeds Community Media (WLCM), the publisher of West Leeds Dispatch, in November 2019. If a member of the public feels the policy has subsequently not been followed, they can raise this directly with WLCM to seek a resolution via e-mailing chair@westleedsdispatch.com.
General policy
1. Paid advertisements will be actively sought for the sole purpose of ensuring the ongoing financial viability of the Dispatch, and all income received will be reinvested in the running of the website and the paper;
2. The Dispatch will offer discounted advertising rates for local not-for-profit organisations, in line with the community ethos of the paper;
3. All advertisements carried by the Dispatch will be clearly separated from editorial content;
4. Any advertorials/native advertising will be clearly marked as ‘sponsored content’
5. Editorial content will not be influenced by any advertisement or advertiser, and the Dispatch will always have the right to publish content that could criticise or otherwise negatively impact advertisers;
6. The volume of advertising content in any one edition should not exceed the volume of editorial content, and the Dispatch will seek to increase pagination of editions where this might occur in order to prioritise editorial content;
Ethical considerations
1. The Dispatch will not accept adverts from political parties or adverts containing political statements;
2. The Dispatch reserves the right to refuse to publish an advert on ethical grounds, including but not limited to:
◦ Advertisements that contain discriminatory material,
◦ Advertisements that promote the mistreatment of people or animals,
◦ Advertisements from organisations with a proven record of mistreatment or discrimination;
◦ Advertisements from organisations promoting adult products or activities, such as sex shops.
◦ Advertisements from organisations promoting gambling or financial incentives that promote debt and irresponsible borrowing, such as pay-day loans
3. Decisions by the Board to sell advertising will be made with consideration to the above
4. Where the Board decides not to proceed with the publication of an advertisement on ethical grounds, an explanation of this decision will be provided to the advertiser.
Payment
1. Advertisers must pay the agreed fee for their advert 50% seven days before publication; 50% 14 days after publication;
2. Advertisers who have not yet paid for an advertisement in a previous edition will not be permitted to advertise with WLCM until such payment is received;
3. Advertisers who require assistance with the design of their advert may be charged an extra fee for this service;
4. Discounts may be offered to regular advertisers.
Any questions about these guidelines, or concerns that the guidelines have not been adhered to, can be raised by e-mailing news@westleedsdispatch.com.