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Every newspaper has to decide what types of advertising it will accept. Usually the types of ads a newspaper won't accept for publication are for things their readers might find offensive--ads for strip clubs, phone sex lines, etc. Some newspapers also try to watch out for the readers interests by not allowing certain ads that they know aren't legitimate. Some restrictions are based on other factors. For example, if your newspaper is sent through the U.S. Mail, most likely lotteries or games of chance are not allowed because you can't hold a lottery through the mail (Publisher's Clearinghouse gets away with it because it's free to enter, which doesn't make it a lottery).

Look in your rate card for any restrictions, or ask about it. I have been told that once a salesperson accepts an ad from an advertiser, that the paper is legally required to run it. This may not be true any longer, but if you are ever given a questionable ad from a business, you might want to tell the retailer that you're not sure if you can accept this ad for publication. Explain that you'll get back to him once you run it by your manager.

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