Overview

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Introduction

This rulebook describes how media owners report Digital Publications. We have listed below the key principles that underpin the rules.  The Reporting Standards are written as if the primary user is the media owner (‘you’). ABC is referred to as ‘we’. 

Key Principles  

1. A Digital Publication is not a website.

2. A Digital Publication does not have to have an associated print product.

3. Access to the Digital Publication is restricted, either by a paywall or registration gateway with a password requirement.

4. The Digital Publication must be published and available to the end user.

5. Editorial content can be changed.

6. Advertising (by advertiser) must be common within an edition, and once published remain unchanged (except for dynamically served advertising).

7. All transactions must be bona fide.

8. Once certified, you must report on a continuous basis.

9. Optional metrics can be reported.  

10. Digital Publication audits must be carried out by ABC staff auditors.

11. To be reported on one certificate all editions must be branded in common. 

Definition of a Digital Publication

A Digital Publication must:

1. Be edited, designed, and contain date-stamped content. 

2. Be published periodically on a regular and known frequency. e.g. 6 days a week/weekly/monthly etc.

   1. If there is not an identifiable and regular publishing frequency then the period of measurement will not be per issue, but will default to the number of days the publication is available. i.e. if available every day then the number of days would be 365 per year (366 in a leap year): or if only available on Sundays then the number of days per year would be 52. Where this is the case the rules will refer to ‘daily’ in parenthesis.

3. Be presented in a navigation format such that the publication is divided into defined pages of content presented together.

4. If accessed on a web site be restricted either by a “pay wall” or a “registration” gateway with a password requirement. This does not prevent Digital Publications from including links to free to access website content.