Arena for Journalism in Europe is committed to providing a welcoming, inclusive, and harassment-free environment for all, regardless of race, colour, gender and trans statuses, sexual orientation, age, ability, nationality, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and beliefs.
We have a code of conduct not because we expect bad behaviour from our community – which in our experience is overwhelmingly kind, thoughtful, and considerate – but because we strive to act with awareness, care and accountability within a world marked by oppressive structures.
All those organising, participating and attending Arena’s activities – including the Arena team members – agree to:
- Be considerate in speech and actions, and actively seek to acknowledge and respect the boundaries of others.
- Refrain from inappropriate, demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech. Harassment includes, but is not limited to: deliberate intimidation; stalking; sustained or willful disruption of panels or other events; use of sexual or discriminatory imagery, comments, or jokes; unwelcome sexual attention; inappropriate and/or unwanted physical contact.
- Refrain from recording activities, unless with explicit and informed consent. Respect requests of confidentiality.
- Take care of each other. Alert a member of the Arena team if you notice an uncomfortable or dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this code of conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.
This code of conduct covers all of Arena’s activities. If you experience practices or behaviours that don’t meet it or if you feel that you are being harassed in any way, please contact climate@journalismarena.eu or any Arena team member. At Arena conferences, there will also be a designated team member, announced at the beginning of the conference that you can contact directly.
In cases of harassing behaviour or violations of the code of conduct, the dedicated Arena CoC team will step in to de-escalate the situation, support the complainant, and review what happened. Further actions might include, but are not limited to, collective reflection, a warning, exclusion from the event, and exclusion from any future Arena activities.
All issues raised are treated as confidential, and the complainant will not be identified without their consent.
We welcome your feedback on this and other aspects of Arena’s activities, and we thank you for contributing to a safe, enjoyable, and friendly experience for everyone.
Credit to SRCCON Code of Conduct and The Self-Investigation’s Code of Conduct, from which we’ve borrowed.
