Speaking solely as an ARSC member, and NOT on behalf of the Board:

I looked at the "Statement from the ARSC Board Opposing Racism and Police Brutality" document on the ARSC website again. How has this transformed ARSC into an "activist" organization? How is this "political"? This reads more like a humanitarian view to me rather than a political view. How does supporting the inclusion efforts the Board is proposing lead you to become a less impartial journalist (if such a thing exists)?

AFAIK, ARSC does not donate to or endorse presidential candidates or parties. Nor do we donate to protest movements. So what's really the issue?






On Tue, 21 Jul 2020 18:10:01 -0400, Sammy Jones <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>ARSC says it is open to everyone, and to that end, I was a little surprised to see it weigh into current political controversies, controversies that (if social media posts I see are to be believed) stir up animosity and disagreement among groups that cross social and political lines. We would do well to remember that membership is very broad, comprising private collectors, archivists, and researchers of many diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Some may agree with the stance taken by the Board; others may disagree. You won't hear my views, because they are private, and as a journalist, it's not really appropriate for me to share them in a public forum, unless they are freedom of the press concerns.
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>Similarly, some might consider it inappropriate for ARSC to share its political views, especially considering some members may be opposed to those views. This is neither an approval nor a disapproval by me of what was written in the recent public statements by the Board. However, I can recognize that wanting ARSC to steer clear of such matters is a reasonable position to hold. I believe that is at least part of what Kurt Nauck was getting at in his letter to the editor.
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>I'm just a record collector, and I'm only interested in being in a record/archiving club; not an activist organization. In fact I cannot be a member of a political activist organization. The ethics of my profession don't allow it. If you know how I feel on politics and current events, it's because I have shared that information with you as a friend or fellow-member, not because I expect ARSC to act or make statements about those views or beliefs.
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>Finally, as interesting as this discussion on whether or not Kurt's letter to the editor should have been published is, we still have the impending issue of the proposed Code of Conduct and Procedure for Responding to Incidents documents. Those documents require more urgent attention from members. The deadline for submitting input on those is August 1. I just submitted my response using the online form, and would encourage anyone else who's interested to do so, as well.
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>Sammy Jones
>Private Collector