IT: Vatican Report On Advertising

The Vatican has issued a 30-page report entitled “Ethics in Advertising” in which it calls upon advertisers to desist from using allegedly sinful imagery and standards. Prepared by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the document accuses some advertisers of making “deliberate appeals to such motives as envy, status-seeking and lust.” However, the report also says that advertising can be socially useful and inspirational: “Advertising has significant potential for good…[and] can brighten lives by being witty, tasteful and entertaining.” Most pertinently, the report exhorts advertisers to regulate themselves and ensure that they are ethically responsible, as they and only they bear the moral burden of what they do.