October 18, 2005
London

The ICCO has formally adopted the IPRA's Charter on Media Transparency. The new Charter commits the ICCO trade association members to a set of principles designed to foster greater transparency in relationships between their affiliated agencies and the media, and to help end bribery for media coverage throughout the world.

The Charter, now available to all ICCO members from a dedicated page on the ICCO website, covers the following areas:
1. News material should appear as a result of the news judgment of journalists and editors, and not as a result of any payment in cash or in kind, or any other inducements.

2. Material involving payment should be clearly identified as advertising, sponsorship or promotion.

3. No journalist or media representative should ever suggest that news coverage will appear for any reason other than its merit.

4.When samples or loans of products or services are necessary for a journalist to render an objective opinion, the length of time should be agreed in advance and loaned products should be returned afterward.

5. The media should institute written policies regarding the receipt of gifts or discounted products and services, and journalists should be required to sign the policy

The ICCO agreed to formally adopt the Charter at its Board meeting, held in Dublin in October 2004, however, Secretary General, Simon Quarendon, took possession of the document at a ceremony held at the IPRA's World Congress, held on 26th- 29th June in Istanbul, Turkey.

Commenting on the new charter, he said: "We represent the seventh global PR organisation that has signed up to this Charter and we applaud the IPRA for instigating it. Our members can only benefit from helping the media to adopt higher ethical standards".

ICCO member trade associations are encouraged to alert their members to the new Charter and to incorporate the document on their own websites.

To download a copy of the Charter visit the new dedicated page on the ICCO website:
http://www.iccopr.com/members/?fuseaction=MediaTransparencyCharter

The agreement to adopt the IPRA Media Transparency Charter was negotiated by the Industry & Business Environment Working Party, chaired by Austria's Renate Skoff.

For more details on the new Charter, please contact the ICCO Secretary General: simon@iccopr.com

Hard copies of the new Charter will be made available at the Board of Management meeting in Prague on Saturday, October 22nd, 2005.