Electronic Editions—U.S. Newspapers

Employee Copies

Newspapers may choose to service electronic editions to fulfill those copies traditionally claimed on ABC documents as Employee/Independent Contractor Copies.

ABC Rule C 3.1 Employee, Correspondent and Agent Copies stipulates that a newspaper may include in paid circulation copies made available to:

• Employees (currently on the payroll)
• Retired Employees
• Correspondents (must contribute at least one article per month)
• Agents (must be currently involved in delivering the newspapers to subscribers)

ABC permits copies served, to those meeting the above parameters, to be fulfilled via an electronic edition provided there is a reasonable expectation that these individuals will have access to the electronic edition either at home or at work.

Records need to be maintained for the auditor to support that the individuals receiving these copies are employees, retired employees, correspondents or agents. Records may include payroll listings, correspondent compensation and agent billing.

For information on how Employee/Independent Contractor electronic editions should be disclosed on ABC documents, please refer to the Reporting section on electronic editions.

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