Advertising Policy
Advertising Policy
This policy explains the standards applied to advertising on 19News.au. The publication accepts paid advertising only when it can be presented clearly, lawfully and safely beside local news and community information. Advertising must be recognisable as commercial material and must not mislead readers, impersonate emergency services or create confusion with editorial reporting.
Advertising standards
Advertisers are expected to provide accurate business details, truthful campaign claims, appropriate images and destination links that match the advertised offer. Ads should be suitable for a general Australian audience. The advertiser is responsible for ensuring that prices, claims, promotions, warranties, professional qualifications and service descriptions are current and lawful. 19News.au may ask for clarification or reject material that cannot be reasonably reviewed.
Allowed advertisers
Suitable advertisers may include local businesses, trades, health and wellness providers operating within lawful boundaries, food and hospitality venues, education providers, retailers, professional services, tourism operators, community organisations and other businesses that can provide clear contact details. Approval is not automatic. A business can be declined if the profile appears incomplete, misleading, unverifiable or unsuitable for the publication.
Prohibited advertising
19News.au does not accept advertising for scams, misleading claims, fake emergency alerts, adult content, gambling, illegal products or services, malware, suspicious links, hate or discriminatory content, deceptive impersonation, fake system alerts, high-risk lending claims, crypto or forex schemes, or misleading medical and financial claims. Ads must not pretend to be a police, fire, ambulance, weather, council, government or emergency warning. Ads must not use fear-based wording such as fake virus alerts, false prize claims, deceptive countdowns, “no credit check” claims, “guaranteed profit” claims, unsupported medical promises or fake official notices.
Ad review process
Each submitted ad can be reviewed for title, image, destination URL, placement, targeting, date range, category, and policy compliance. Review may also consider whether the creative is readable on mobile devices, whether the image appears professional, whether the destination link loads correctly, and whether the ad could be confused with editorial content or an official public alert. The platform also screens common prohibited phrases before submission. New and edited ads are treated as reviewable submissions and may be returned for changes.
Right to reject or remove ads
19News.au may reject, pause, expire or remove advertising at any time if it breaches policy, creates reader risk, damages trust, fails payment checks, links to unsafe pages, misrepresents a business or becomes unsuitable after approval. Approval of one ad does not guarantee approval of future ads. If a payment fails or a subscription is cancelled, public ad serving can stop even if a creative was previously approved.
Refund and cancellation note
Subscriptions and payment management are handled through Stripe. Cancellation terms, renewal timing and payment method updates are managed in the billing portal where available. A rejected ad does not automatically mean every payment is refundable, especially where profile review, setup, moderation or sponsored content review has already occurred. Businesses should contact 19News.au with billing concerns so the issue can be reviewed fairly.
Reporting an ad
Readers, advertisers and community members can report an ad that appears misleading, unsafe, inappropriate or incorrectly labelled. Include the page URL, a screenshot if possible, the advertiser name and a short explanation of the concern. Reports help the admin team review commercial material quickly and remove anything that does not meet the standards expected on a local news platform.
Advertising information
Advertising resources
These pages explain how advertising works on 19News.au, what businesses can buy, how sponsored content is reviewed, and which advertising claims or categories are not accepted. Paid placements are kept separate from editorial decision making and public placements are labelled so readers can recognise commercial material.
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