New Feeling Membership Code of Conduct

The purpose of this Code of Conduct policy is to outline minimum expectations with respect to responsibilities and procedures consistent with New Feeling’s core values. 

We believe that every co-op organizing member, writer member, community member, and advisory member deserves the following:

• A supportive environment that facilitates the creative process, transparent communication and mutual respect from everyone involved
• A collaborative space that supports individuals coming forward to ask questions with room to speak and be wrong
• Mentorship across a spectrum of skill and experience backgrounds
• Opportunities and accommodations for new and experimental work
• An environment that protects from harassment, discrimination, bullying, trolling, bad-faith arguments, devil’s-advocate arguments, gaslighting, and violence in all forms – including but not limited to hate speech, microaggressions, or otherwise oppressive behaviour based on race, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, or ability 
• A platform that is accessible and navigable to a diverse spectrum of abilities
• To never have to work in environments in which they may feel uncomfortable or at personal risk, such as but not limited to private hotel rooms, vehicles, or others’ homes
• An alternative to venture-capital-owned media
• A platform that reliably articulates stories currently ignored by the dominant media landscape

In support of these intentions, we commit to: 

• Enact policies and procedures that maintain subjects, nature, and storytellers behind our coverage will be represented by a diverse spectrum of backgrounds
• Trauma-informed storytelling practices
• Clearly and prominently communicating content warnings accompanying stories both as they appear on newfeeling.ca and social outreach for relevant stories
• Radical transparent subjectivity over prescriptive objectivity; disclosing working and social relationships wherever relevant, especially in editorial
• Coverage for underserved artists
• Acknowledge blindspots
• Provide opportunities for emerging writers and writers from marginalized backgrounds
• Working group memberships and leaderships that rotate out on a bi-annual basis
• Establish and maintain a stewardship program that holds all organizing members accountable for facilitating care and mentorship on a peer-to-peer level 
• Incubate emerging talent 
• Prioritize equity and the cultivation of alternative spaces
• Trusting and respecting the perspectives of diverse audiences
• Exchange amongst journalists and scenes throughout the country
• Instituting a Public Editor role residing over fact-checking, style, and any fairness issues that may come up, liaising with the Equity/Care working group around editorial content so accountability isn’t siloed off from editorial responsibilities
• Circulating time-stamped updates of this document to member signees for up-to-date compliance and progress transparency 
• Ensure that these policies apply in any environment where New Feeling work is being conducted, including the field and New Feeling-affiliated events
• Ensure that these policies are signed by all individuals conducting work through or in collaboration with New Feeling, including any bodies the co-op may be in association with as a result of unionization
• Provide a variety of resources that detail and formalize processes regarding instances of non-compliance, including,
  • A detailed Conflict Resolution Policy identifying mechanisms for reporting and pursuing issues of noncompliance and inter-co-op conflict
  • In instances where members of the public approach any co-op member with a complaint regarding content, members are encouraged to reach out to the Equity/Care working group lead and Public Editor
  • Allowing Organizing members to step back and resume work with the co-op at a later date

This Code of Conduct is a set of commitments developed by New Feeling based on resources and safer space training provided by Good Night Out Vancouver.