Creating a Safe Event Community

The Society for News Design is committed to creating a community at all SND events that is safe, welcoming, and harassment-free for participants of all races and ethnicities, gender and gender identities, sexual orientations, physical abilities, and religious beliefs.

This code of conduct applies to all virtual and in-person spaces managed by the Society for News Design, as well as any other forum the organization uses for communication.

We invite all members of the SND community to join us in an effort to create positive experiences for everyone.

SND staff, members, supporters, volunteers, attendees and speakers are expected to:

• Demonstrate respect in all speech and action
• Consider and respect other points of view; keep conversations civil and professional, even when disagreements occur
• Respect the boundaries of other event attendees
• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech. Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
  • Violent threats or language directed against another person
  • Discriminatory jokes and language
  • Posting sexually explicit or violent material
  • Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms
  • Unwelcome sexual attention in any regard. This includes sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping and unwelcomed sexual advances
  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

Unacceptable behavior from community members or event participants — including partners, sponsors, speakers, and SND leadership — will not be tolerated. Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.

Failure to comply may result in any lawful action deemed appropriate by the Society for News Design or its event partners, including removal from the community or its events.

Reporting a problem

Alert SND leadership of a member of the SND Events Committee if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.

If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify a community organizer as soon as possible:

• Paige K. Connor, SND Events Committee Chair and SND Past President: events@snd.org
• LeeAnn Mandrillo, SND Executive Director: director@snd.org

If you feel you have been falsely or unfairly accused of violating this code, you should notify the Society for News Design event organizers or SND leadership with a description of your grievance.

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This Code of Conduct is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Portions of this text have been borrowed extensively from the Citizen Code of Conduct, the Django Code of Conduct, the SRCCON Code of Conduct, and the Online News Association Code of Conduct.