Ethics in advertising: A look at the report by the pontifical council for social communications

In February 1997, the cabinet-level Pontifical Council for Social Communica tions at the Vatican released a report on the state of advertising worldwid e. To complete its review, the council solicited materials from advertising practitioners and scholars through a variety of venues, including a plea i n the trade magazine Advertising Age. The purpose of this article, and the four that follow, is to review and evaluate the resulting document.