FMA General Code of Conduct
- Follow the five core principles of journalism outlined on the FMA website
- Maintain professional standards in work-related dealings with colleagues (whether FMA members or not), including paying fairly and on time, adhering to contracts/agreements, and respecting copyrights and intellectual property
- Engage with other FMA members respectfully (no bullying, insults, provocation, etc.) and professionally in all online and in-person interactions, including in all FMA WhatsApp group chats
- Pay member dues (aidat) in a timely manner, contacting the FMA board if you are having trouble doing so for financial or logistical reasons; membership may be revoked after six months of nonpayment if the member has failed to communicate with the board or respond to reminders
- Violations of these rules of conduct or failure to abide by the FMA Non-Discrimination Policy can be reported via our internal Complaint Form. Verified violations will result in a warning by the board or membership being revoked depending on the severity of the offense
- Serious violations that disturb the functioning of FMA or harm FMA members may merit an investigation that could result in immediate revoking of membership depending on its outcome
FMA Non-Discrimination Policy
As an organization, FMA strives to create a community based on respect for all people, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, native language, disability, physical appearance, ethnicity, age, socio-economic background, religion or ideology. We are committed to protecting the right of our colleagues to be free from any form of discrimination, abuse or harassment that may arise in the workplace or in any FMA-related activity. We believe it is our responsibility not only to enforce these principles within our community, but also to encourage our members to commit to equity and inclusion in their work in order to make our journalism stronger and our relationships with the people we report on healthier.
As such, FMA reserves the right to investigate and intervene in potential violations of our Code of Conduct and Non-Discrimination Policy that fall within the mandate of our organization. These include, but are not limited to:
- Bullying, belittling, slander or other harassing or abusive comments, including those targeting members on the basis of their identity (e.g. gender, background, national origin, etc.)
- Unwelcome contact or sexual attention
- Intimidation, stalking, threats or blackmail
- Sexual harassment or assault
- Physical or psychological workplace violence
The board also reserves the right to remove FMA membership in the case of serious misconduct outside of FMA activities that could put members and colleagues in danger or pose a reputational, legal, or other risk to the association.
Cases that cannot be resolved internally will be evaluated by an outside expert in a prompt, thorough and impartial manner. For sensitive matters and questions regarding the investigation process, members can directly contact the Association for Gender Equality Policies/Cinsiyet Eşitliği Politikaları Derneği (CEPD), a Turkey-based association that supports efforts to achieve gender equality in work life, for consultancy in this area. The board of FMA will keep the complainant informed about every step of the proceedings and reserves the right to make a final decision regarding what action will be taken. We will seek mediation and preventative measures whenever possible, but some acts may be worthy of sanction or expulsion from the group.
Anyone can contact the FMA board regarding potential violations of our Code of Conduct or Non-Discrimination Policy via our online Complaint Form. Complaints will be treated as confidential outside of the parties required to resolve them, and those who report discrimination, harassment or other violations will not be punished.
