Code of Conduct

Code of ConductMission

We Need To Talk (WNTT) is a student-run, activism focused newspaper that provides news for high school students, by high schoolers. WNTT covers topics that are often ignored by mainstream media, providing youth with a platform to make their voices heard. WNTT offers a diverse set of perspectives on international issues, with writers from countries around the world.

Terms

  • content: any article, piece of art (drawing, music, painting, etc.), or design created by a staffer to be published in the newspaper or on the website
  • disciplinary action: action taken by the editorial board that reduces the responsibilities and/or privileges of a staffer due to behavior that violates this Code of Conduct. 
  • editor(s): a staffer whose role includes revising or managing other staffers’ work or overseeing their behavior. 
  • editorial board: the group of all current editors at WNTT 
  • newspaper: the monthly collection of articles, photos, and art (if applicable) published by WNTT and made available on its website; called “We Need to Talk”
  • official communication platform: an application or website that WNTT designates as a place for staffers to communicate about WNTT; currently includes Slack and Zoom
  • staffer(s): any person who creates content that is published in a WNTT monthly edition or on the WNTT website, including writers, designers, and artists, as well as any person who revises this content, including editors.
  • termination: a form of disciplinary action in which a staffer is removed from their position in WNTT and all corresponding responsibilities and privileges. 
  • website: the Internet domain maintained by WNTT where all editions of the newspaper and information about the organization and its staffers are available to the public
  • WNTT (We Need to Talk): the organization that publishes the newspaper and maintains its online presence, including the website and social media accounts

Code of Conduct

Responsibilities

All staffers must adhere to the following when creating content related to WNTT or interacting with other staffers through an official communication platform

  • uphold the mission of **WNTT **and the Code of Conduct
  • promote a safe and inclusive environment for all staffers 
  • communicate respectfully and honestly with all staffers

Journalistic Ethics and Integrity 

  1. Accuracy and Honesty

All information in the content that is created by WNTT must be real and correct. All staffers must fact-check any statistics or information they include in the content that they create. Staffers should provide links to important sources for their information in the Sources section of the Call to Action document.

  1. Impartiality and Conflicts of Interest 

Staffers may not write any content for WNTT that could benefit or disparage an organization that the staffer is a member of or does work for, even in the Opinion section of the newspaper. Staffers must also not create content about any subject that they cannot write about objectively. 

Transparency and Accountability

  1. Transparency 

If the editorial board takes disciplinary action against a staffer, it must disclose any and all reason(s) that it found to do so to that staffer and any other staffer who requests such information, while protecting the privacy and preferences of the disciplined staffer

  1. Accountability 

If any staffer finds an editor or editors to have violated the Code of Conduct, the remainder of the editorial board must investigate the violation and determine what disciplinary action, if any, is necessary. The editorial board must not treat the potential violator(s) differently than they would if the potential violator(s) were not editors

Harassment and Bullying 

No staffer may at any time harass or bully another staffer, whether in person or through an official communication platform. Harassment and bullying can take many forms, such as: 

  • inappropriate or offensive comments
  • inappropriate or offensive images sent online or shown live 
  • threats and/or verbal abuse
  • stalking (interacting with someone’s social media account(s) without their consent)

All reports of harassment and bullying will be investigated by the editorial board, who will determine what disciplinary action is appropriate, if any. 

Discrimination and Prejudice 

WNTT is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all staffers, regardless of appearance, age, race, ethnicity, ancestry, cultural background, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age, or medical condition. WNTT will enforce a zero-tolerance policy for any discrimination based on the above conditions. Any staffer that expresses prejudiced or discriminatory views about a person or group of people based on those characteristics that is offensive or harmful to that person or group may face disciplinary action or termination

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