Publishing Policy
Texas Tech University recognizes and affirms the editorial independence and press freedom of The Daily Toreador. Student editors have the authority to make all content decisions; consequently they bear the responsibility for the decisions they make.Editorial board members manage the staff and direct daily content. Tech students create all stories, editorials, photographs and graphics, as well as the newspaper itself. The editorial advisers who work with students critique the staff’s work for libel, obscenity, invasion of privacy and obstruction of the educational process. Neither the editorial advisers nor any other Tech employee dictate the content of the newspaper. Responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies with the student editors.
The Daily Toreador’s Opinions page serves as a forum for the Tech community to voice opinions and viewpoints about current events and issues. Columns, letters and artwork represent the opinions of their authors/creators and are not necessarily representative of the editorial board, Texas Tech University, its employees, its student body or the Texas Tech University Board of Regents.
Letters to the editor are accepted for publication on the Opinions page. To be considered for publication, letters must:
• Be signed. Anonymous letters will not be accepted.
• Be no longer than two typed, double-spaced pages (or 300 words).
• Include the author’s name, signature, phone number and Social Security number (phone number and Social Security number are needed for verification only; this information will not be published).
• Include information pertaining to author’s university affiliation (classification, major, organization, etc.).
The editor reserves the right to edit letters. Guest columns also are welcome.
The Daily Toreador subscribes to the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists and to that of the Associated Collegiate Press. Its employees are required to follow the codes of both the SPC and ACP with an emphasis upon personal responsibility, freedom of the press, ethics, accuracy, objectivity and fair play. Plagiarism in any aspect will result in immediate termination.
The DT owns all published and unpublished work intended for use by the publication or its Web site. The editor and managing editor must approve arrangements for previously published Daily Toreador work to be printed in other publications.
The Daily Toreador advertising acceptance guidelines:
The Daily Toreador reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising.
Guidelines for discussion relative to acceptance / rejection of ads:
Consideration of ads submitted for publication is done on a case-by-case basis in light of certain professional journalistic and advertising standards:
• Legality
• Truthfulness
• Taste and sensitivity
• Design
Any ad deemed questionable by a student staff member relative to one of the above standards may express their concerns to The Daily Toreador Ad Manager and Student Ad Manager. At the earliest opportunity, he or she will convene a group including the ad manager, student ad manager, editor, and a representative group of 4-6 student staff members from various departments for the purpose of discussing the merits of running the ad.
Given deadline pressure, it may not always be possible to include everyone mentioned above. But the effort should be made to include a variety of opinions from those familiar with the DT advertising standards. These standards are described in more detail below.
LEGALITY: Illegal ads are those that offer illegal products or services, are substantially disruptive, libelous, obscene, invasive of privacy or discriminatory.
An illegal product or service is one forbidden by local, state, or federal law.
A substantially disruptive ad is one of such an incendiary nature as to cause immediate and substantial danger to individual lives or property.
A libelous ad contains a falsehood which exposes a person or a business to hatred, ridicule, or contempt, or lowers that person’s reputation, causes the person to be shunned, or injures the person’s livelihood. To libel a public official or a public figure, one must act recklessly and with actual malice; to libel a private individual, one must simply make a mistake. The DT is potentially liable for any libel reprinted in its publications, even if the libelous words, photos, or art are supplied by someone else (for example, an ad or a letter to the editor).
Obscene ads are not easily defined, but for the purposes of discussion, consider it one, which the average person, applying community standards, would find patently offensive.
An ad that is invasive of privacy (1) appropriates a person’s name, personality, visage, or photograph for commercial purposes without the person’s approval; (2) holds a person up to a “false light” (i.e. implies something untruthful about a person); (3) publishes non-newsworthy private facts about a person; or (4) intrudes upon a person’s space or tranquility or property in a trespassing manner. Before accepting an ad, always ascertain that a person pictured, quoted, or used in any way has given their permission to be featured in the ad. Be especially careful about student athletes.
A discriminatory ad is one that indicates preference based on age, sex, race or any other protected category when advertising for employment or housing.
The DT complies with all federal, state, and local regulations, and will never knowingly accept an illegal ad.
TRUTHFULNESS: Untruthful ads are those designed to deceive.
The DT rejects ads that are untruthful, such as deceitful trade-in allowances, fictitious list prices, bait-and-switch advertising, misleading free offers, fake sales, and get-rich-quick promotions which prey on the ignorance and gullibility of the reader. The DT asks to inspect a product that will be promoted by mail-order in its publications as well as ads which require readers to send in money to get additional information or which solicit readers for work in the home, like stuffing envelopes or piece work will be reviewed.
TASTE AND SENSITIVITY: Tasteless, vulgar, and insensitive ads are those that needlessly offend a substantial segment of our readership.
The DT seeks to avoid offending its readership with ads that are needlessly tasteless, vulgar, or insensitive. Ad reps must be sensitive to ads that appeal to racial, ethnic, religious or sexual biases. We realize, however, that there are times when an ad that is offensive to some members of the university community should be allowed to run because the ad concerns an issue of significance and public concern. In addition, offensiveness will be determined by the standards of a college-age audience.
DESIGN: Poorly designed ads are those that do not meet DT layout and design standards.
The DT is not obliged to run ads that harm the appearance of the publication as a whole from a design standpoint.
Additional considerations:
EDITORIAL ADS:
The DT distinguishes between "commercial" ads for products and services and "editorial" ads that promote or refute ideas. The U.S. Supreme Court holds that advertising which advocates ideas, expresses opinions, or is political in nature enjoys special protection under the First Amendment -- a protection denied purely commercial speech. The DT restricts such advertising for only the most serious infractions of our standards.
All editorial ads must clearly and prominently identify the sponsor of the ad. Although the law no longer requires an "authorized and paid for . . ." disclaimer in political advertising, The Daily Toreador requires accurate identification of the ad's sponsor to be published as a service to our readers.
The underlying aim of these guidelines is to be as open and forthright with the reader as possible. We should not put ourselves in the position of helping an advertiser conceal his or her identity from the reader. If we would not grant someone anonymity in a letter to the editor, we should not allow him or her to circumvent that restriction by paying for an ad.
Ads styled to resemble news copy must be clearly labeled "advertisement". If the names or likenesses of other persons are to appear in the ad, the advertiser must furnish evidence that all such persons have given permission for the use of their names.
ALCOHOL DISCLAIMER:
The disclaimer “This establishment, Texas Tech University and The Daily Toreador do not encourage underage drinking and alcohol abuse,” will be added to all alcohol-related ads by the advertiser or the student sales representative.
ETHICS:
No ad staff members may accept anything of value from those with whom they deal professionally. This is to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. An ad rep will never solicit items (tickets, discounts, CDs, food or drinks, etc.) and, if they are offered, will politely refuse, citing this DT code of conduct.
The advertiser agrees to accept sole responsibility for the content of an ad and hold harmless Texas Tech University, The Daily Toreador, Student Media, its Board of Trustees and its officers, agents and employees from and against any and all loss, cost and expense, including reasonable attorney fees, resulting from the publication by The Daily Toreador of the advertiser’s advertisement.