Standards and Practices

Used by the WFN Advisory Group - draft of December 29, 1995

  1. News material presented on WFN will conform to acceptable journalistic standards. It will be verifiable and indicate sources for verification.
  2. News releases presented on WFN will conform to a style, at the beginning of a release, that is given to WFN providers by WFN administration. This common style will include a:
    • Title on the top line
    • Date
    • Source agency name
    • Source phone number and email address
  3. Following these items format and style is the individual agency's choice.
  4. Material on WFN may be presented in languages other than English (in fact, agencies are encouraged to offer material in languages other than English).
  5. Providers of material on WFN must sign a re-transmission consent form, which will be sent to them.
  6. Articles and material other than news releases should indicate how this material may be used. For example, a provider may elect to say, "This material may be re-printed freely if proper credit is given" — and then indicate at that point how to state proper credit. Or, there may be copyright restrictions indicated on material. It is an individual provider's responsibility to indicate how material may be used. Absent this indication, it will be assumed that material may be used at will.
  7. While providers of news and material to the WFN are generally responsible for the content that they provide and the WFN administration will not function with editorial control, there are general standards or decency and fair play that WFN providers are asked to observe:
    • material will not be used to proselytize, i.e., encourage readers to join one faith group at the expense of another faith group.
    • material will not malign others, i.e., will not denigrate, defame, or speak ill of another faith group or its practitioners.
    • material will not be used as a means to discriminate or stereotype.
  8. Material on WFN will not be used for any form of fund solicitation.
  9. News releases and other documents on WFN, will by their very nature, deal with controversial issues. While affirming that such material needs to be readily accessible via WFN, it is to be hoped that when dealing with controversial issues providers will do so in such a such a way as to increase understanding and to encourage dialogue around basic questions related to such issues
  10. Material on WFN may not advertise products nor offer materials for commercial gain. WFN providers may indicate the availability of a product or commercial enterprise by pointing a reader to another home page that would give more information about said product or enterprise.
  11. In providing information about or pictures (likenesses) of individuals, care must be taken to insure privacy considerations and to avoid libelous statements.