B
are wide variations in local programs and tastes. No one is better qualified to determine and respond
to those local needs than a public television station licensed to that community.
E.
Editorial Control
Public television will not allow editorial control to be exercised by program supporters. In order to
assure that public television is editorially independent, as a general rule, public broadcasting will not
accept programs in which the supporter has asserted or has the right to assert editorial control.
F. Perception of Editorial Control
Public television must have the confidence of the public that its program service is provided through
good faith and professional judgments, which are free from inappropriate restraints or control. In a
program of a public affairs or controversial nature, if there is a very clear and direct connection
between the interests, products, or services of the potential underwriter and the subject of the
program which would likely lead to the public to conclude that the program has been influenced by
the supporter, the proposed funding will be unacceptable. In some of these cases, the joining of a
problematic supporter with one or more neutral supporters may make the problematic supporter
acceptable.
G. Commercialism
Public television must protect its non-commercial nature in compliance with obligations to the Federal
Communications Commission, Congress, and the public. Earlier guidelines provided that when a very
clear and direct commercial connection existed between the interests, products, or services of a
corporation and the subject of a program or series, the proposed funding arrangement would be
unacceptable. As a result of the recent review of policies, application of this principle has now been
limited to those proposed funding arrangements, which are blatantly commercial or self-
congratulatory.
MHz NETWORKS' Editorial Standards
Precision in editorial standards is especially difficult because it is impossible to articulate every
criterion that might enter into the evaluation of a program's quality and integrity.
Program evaluation is an art, not a science, requiring professional judgments about a program's value
in relation or informational aesthetic, technical and other considerations. MHz NETWORKS' task is to
weigh the merits of the programs submitted and assures that the overall program schedule strikes the
best balance among these considerations. These Editorial Standards embody the goals of integrity,
quality, and excellence to which public broadcasting aspires to in its program service recognizing that
not all of these standards apply equally to all program formats or subjects and that not all programs
succeed equally in satisfying all of these standards.
Responsible treatment of important issues may sometimes require the inclusion of controversial or
sensitive material, but good taste must prevail. Morbid or sensational details, or material that is
gratuitously offensive to general taste or manners (e.g., extreme violence, racial epithets, strong
language, nudity or sexism) should not be included unless it is necessary to an understanding of the
matter at hand.
