It seems like we have yet to figure out if we can get the announcements list to automatically copy messages here. But since the "reply-to" function is at least set properly for this list, I'll take advantage of it now to make sure the full original message is posted here as well.
--Michael Snow On 6/23/2010 10:47 PM, Michael Snow wrote: > As a follow-up to the previous statement and discussion about > appropriate educational content, the board has passed a resolution > requesting a study of the issue of potentially objectionable content. We > have asked the Executive Director to organize this study and develop > recommendations for the board. We expect these will be shared with the > community and stimulate further discussion about whether to adopt > particular recommendations. Potential action would only follow that > process, but since it's hard to say what that might involve without > knowing the recommendations in advance, I will also pass along some > questions and answers that attempt to explain the process in more > detail. The text of the resolution follows: > > 1. The Wikimedia Foundation vision imagines a world in which every > single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That is > our commitment, and we aspire to see it realized. > > 2. We are making good progress towards that goal. Today, hundreds of > millions of people read the Wikimedia projects every month. Those people > represent a wide diversity of ethnicities, nationalities, ages, > socioeconomic conditions, sexual orientations, religions, values and > attitudes. We are proud of that, and we consider it proof of our > projects' broad relevance and utility. > > 3. In any group as diverse as ours, ideas about acceptability and taste > will necessarily vary widely. We know that to be true in our case > because, over the years, we have received many requests asking us to > remove from the projects different types of material, on the grounds > that it is objectionable to particular individuals or groups. However, > Wikimedia policy has never called for material to be deleted purely on > the basis that it is, or may be, objectionable, and our projects have > long contained caveats to that effect. > > 4. We do expect material in our projects to be educational in nature, > and any material that is not educational should be removed. We see our > role as making available all knowledge, not solely such knowledge as is > universally deemed acceptable. We believe that individual adults should > be able to decide for themselves what information they want to seek out. > In the case of children, we believe that their parents, teachers, and > other guardians are best placed to guide them to material that is > appropriate for them, based on their development and maturity, as they > grow into adulthood. > > 5. Nevertheless, we are concerned about the possibility of people being > exposed to objectionable material that they did not seek out. This may > include material that is violent, sexually explicit, or otherwise > disturbing; culturally offensive depictions; profane or vulgar language; > depictions of potentially dangerous activities; and exposure of children > to material that may be inappropriate for them. We believe that the > Wikimedia projects are a valuable educational resource, and we do not > want these issues to interfere in sharing knowledge with present or > future readers. > > 6. The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees believe that the Wikimedia > projects have a serious responsibility to carefully balance these > interests to the best of their ability. This includes considering the > interests of both adults and children, as well as understanding > different cultural perspectives about what material may be offensive. It > is a difficult challenge, and we do not take it lightly. > > WE THEREFORE RESOLVE THAT: > > The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees hereby requests its Executive > Director to undertake a project studying this issue, and to develop a > set of recommendations for the Board. In this work, we ask that she > consult with a variety of stakeholders and experts, including Wikimedia > editors, other organizations which have grappled with the same or > similar issues, and thought leaders including relevant members of our > Advisory Board. We ask that she make an effort to include non-Western > perspectives. The purpose of this work is to develop recommendations to > enable the Wikimedia projects to appropriately and effectively serve all > audiences, including both adults and children, and including readers > both current and prospective. > > The scope of this work should be broad, and might include recommended > changes to editorial policies, technical solutions, the development of > new projects that are appropriate for children, and so forth. In an > effort to allow sufficient time for thoughtful investigation, but also > to bring closure to this issue within a reasonable period, we ask the > Executive Director to deliver preliminary recommendations to the Board > at its fall meeting, and we encourage her to consult with the Board as > required in the intervening months. > > --Michael Snow > > _______________________________________________ > Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be immediately > directed to Foundation-L, the public mailing list about the Wikimedia > Foundation and its projects. For more information about Foundation-L: > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l > _______________________________________________ > WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list > wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l > > > _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
