MORNING EDITION BOOK CLUB GUIDELINES
These guidelines address how NPR insulates the Morning Edition Book
Club editorial process from NPR fundraising by maintaining a strict firewall
between the two activities. To preserve the editorial integrity of NPR News, it
is essential to avoid even the appearance that fundraising in support of the
Morning Edition Book Club has influenced the editorial decision-making
involved in conducting the Book Club, including the process of selecting a
Morning Edition Book Club Pick and the production of Book Club-related
program content. Appearances can be as important as reality. Therefore,
communications, especially between editorial and sales personnel, that could
be interpreted to suggest that publishers can impact our editorial decisions
must not occur. Ultimately, both NPR’s credibility as an independent
journalistic organization and the legality of the Morning Edition Book Club
initiative will depend on perception: It should always be clear that editorial
decision-making was motivated in each instance solely by an intention to
inform our audience and facilitate the discovery of new and underappreciated works of substantial literary merit rather than any financial
benefit NPR could realize.
Prohibited Activities
1.
No NPR sponsor acknowledgment from any publishing house may run
on-air adjacent to any Morning Edition Book Club segment.
2.
No sponsor banners or other acknowledgments crediting any book
publisher will appear on any page within the Morning Edition Book Club
section of NPR.org or any NPR mobile application or adjacent to any Morning
Edition Book Club-related audio segment distributed through NPR.org or any
NPR mobile application.
3.
For 90 days following selection of a book as a Morning Edition Book
Club Pick, neither NPM nor NPR Development will solicit or accept financial
support from a publishing house with a financial interest in the Morning
Edition Book Club selection. NPM or NPR Development may choose to
decline other offers of support if those offers could reasonably raise
questions about the Book Club’s credibility or the integrity of the selection
process.
4.
Through written materials and oral presentations, NPM and NPR
Development will affirmatively inform prospective funders that a decision to
provide financial or in-kind support to NPR will have no influence on the
Morning Edition Book Club selection process, the actual Morning Edition Book
Club selection, or any editorial content.

 Book Club Selection Process
1.
The Morning Edition Book Club selection will be made by an
accomplished author of substantial literary merit who is completely
independent of NPR, whether by employment or contract.
2.
NPR’s role in the selection process will be limited to ensuring that the
selection complies with the following guidelines:
a.
The selection will be made from among books that have been
published within the past 12 months to ensure that the selected book is a
new literary work.
b.
The selection will be made among books that have not received
a major literary award, such as a Pulitzer Prize or a National Book Award, to
fulfill the objective of the Morning Edition Book Club initiative to promote the
discovery of new literary works.
c.
The selection will be made among books that are generally
available to the general public so that interested individuals can obtain
access to the selected book.
d.
The author may not select any book with which the author has a
direct connection such that the selection would create the appearance of a
conflict of interest. Examples of such a direct connection may include a
close personal or family relationship between the author selecting the book
and the book's author or a professional relationship, such as a common
publisher, publicist, or agent.

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04.02.15