The Outspoken can be summed up as a marketplace of competing and evolving ideas written and published for the benefit of all those interested. Through civility and tolerance, The Outspoken provides a platform for all those who wish to express their voice on topics important to them. The evolution of ideas begins with the simple gesture of tolerance for opposing arguments. The disagreement is invited. The passionate yet civil debate is encouraged. The self-correction of preconceived notions to become an outspoken voice is the mission.
Article I: Terms of Being an Editor
Section 1: The Executive Editor has authority over anything being published, but the decision to publish in a specific section is ultimately up to the Section Editor.
Section 2: Rough drafts must be appropriate with no profanity, no hate speech, or slander.
Section 3: An Editor must be a Contributor before becoming an Editor.
Section 4: A Contributor must receive a ⅗ majority vote from the Editorial Board to become an Editor.
– Passed on 9/12/2020, amended on 3/19/2021
Article II: Capabilities of the Executive Editor
Section 1: The Executive Editor can edit, write, or publish individual content.
Section 2: The Executive Editor can edit submissions by Contributors, design website pages, and oversee analytics.
Section 3: While the Executive Editor is technically a member of the Editorial Board, the other four Editors are a check on his power.
Section 4: The Executive Editor shall have administrative access to the website, Editorial Board members shall have editorial access, and contributors shall have contributor access. The access and roles of the website are at the discretion of the Executive Editor. The Executive Editor shall also know the passwords of any social media accounts related to The Outspoken.
Section 5: The Executive Editor reserves the right to pick his successor. A successor has to be a member of The Outspoken staff but does not have to be an Editor or Editorial Board member, even though it is encouraged.
Section 6: The Executive Editor reserves the right to suspend any Contributor, Editor, or Media Team member (excluding Editorial Board members and Directors) for two days without the permission of the Editorial Board, provided a rationale presented to the Editorial Board. However, a ⅗ vote from the Editorial Board can override a suspension. A suspension may not take place if an Executive Editor is being considered for removal.
Section 7: The Executive Editor reserves the right to call a meeting with the Editorial Board, Media Team, or any staff member of The Outspoken.
Section 8: Articles representative of the Editorial Board requires a ⅘ majority vote from the Editorial Board. This includes political endorsements, formal announcements, or articles in general. Articles representing the Board should be written by the Executive Editor but can be written by any member of the Board.
Section 9: Contributors may be accepted by the Executive Editor without the vote of the Editorial Board, but their submissions are considered by the Section Editor.
Section 10: Directors and other Media Team members are appointed by the Executive Editor, but ⅘ of the Board can remove any acting Director or member of the Media Team.
Section 11: The Executive Editor is responsible for any annual plans for WordPress or the current website host. He is also responsible for paying for social media promotions and handling the ad revenue.
Section 12: The Executive Editor has final authority on partnerships unless ⅘ of the Editorial Board votes against it.
–Passed on 9/12/2020
Article III: Process of Removing a Member of the Editorial Board
Section 1:Any Editorial Board Member can submit a motion to remove the Executive Editor or any other member of the Board.
Section 2: ⅘ of the Board is required to remove the Executive Editor or any other Editorial Board member.
Section 3: No Editorial Board Member, Editor, or Contributor should be hired nor removed until the request to remove the Executive Editor or any other Editorial Board member is fulfilled or denied.
Section 4: When a motion is set to remove a member of the Editorial Board, the Editorial Board must meet and the board member in question shall have a chance to defend themselves. After this, the board shall vote.
Section 5: If the Executive Editor is removed, the Deputy Editor becomes the Executive Editor. The Editor-at-large becomes the Deputy Editor, Managing Editor becomes the Editor-at-large, and the Development Editor becomes the Managing Editor.
Section 6: If a motion to remove the Executive Editor or any other member is denied, then there must be a seven-day waiting period before a motion to remove the Executive Editor or any other member can be made again. This also applies to motions to remove members outside of the Board.
Section 7: The members of the Editorial Board are the Executive Editor, Deputy Editor, Editor-at-large, Managing Editor, and Development Editor. There shall be only five members of the Board, but the title or role of a member can be subject to change.
Section 8: If the motion to remove an Executive Editor is accepted, then that Executive Editor is stripped of his title and membership from the Editorial Board. He reserves the right to remain an Editor but can be removed from his Editor role by 5/5 of the Editorial Board.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Article IV: Grounds for Termination
Section 1: If a motion to remove a Contributor or Editor is submitted, then the Contributor or Editor has the right to appear before the Editorial Board to make his or her case for a maxim time of twenty minutes. A formal vote would then take place after the argument is made.
Section 2: ⅘ of the Editorial Board is needed to remove any Editor and ⅗ of the Editorial Board is needed to remove any Contributor.
Section 3: Removal of any Editor or Contributor based on background or ideology is not allowed.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Article V: Rules for the Media Team
Section 1: The Directors of Photography and Cinema are the head of the Media team, but must still report to the Executive Editor.
Section 2: A report of the projection of the view count by the Head of View Growth will be reported to the Executive Editor at the end of each fiscal quarter.
Section 3: The Director of Photography is in charge of the photography page and photographers.
Section 4: The Director of Cinema is in charge of the video content and any Video Editors. He also can oversee the YT candidates.
Section 5: Drawers, Social Media Managers, or any new positions created within the media team report to the Directors and Executive Editor.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Article VI: Replacing Editorial Board Members
Section 1: If a motion to remove a member of the Editorial Board is passed then ¾ of the remaining Editors must vote to approve a candidate for a new Development Editor.
Section 2: If one or multiple members of the Editorial Board resign, then the candidates that are going to replace them need to be approved by a simple majority of the remaining Editors.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Article VII: Power of Constitution
Section 1: No amendments can be passed ex post facto. The affairs and staff members that predate the ratification of this constitution do not apply to future affairs and are not grounds for termination.
Section 2: This constitution dictates the affairs of The Outspoken and any violation of this constitution is grounds for termination.
Section 3: 5/5 of the Editorial Board is required to ratify this constitution.
Section 4: Adding amendments or changing amendments to the constitution requires a 5/5 vote from the Editorial Board.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
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AMENDMENTS
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Amendment I:
To garner a vote, outside influence shall not be a factor. Outside influence includes money, threats against a person, or any other influence that will inhibit a member of the Editorial Board from voting how they originally intended to.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Amendment II:
Should the current executive editor and editorial board be dismissive of the rules of the website or be incompetent in their leadership, then the founder of this website shall invoke this clause to reinstate himself as the executive editor, no matter who is currently the executive editor or who makes up the editorial board.
This clause is considered the “nuclear option” and can only be invoked through the unanimous consent of the original editorial board. No act by any editorial board or any executive editor may remove or amend this clause, granting a unique exception to Article VII of the Terms and Policies page. Any attempt to remove or amend this clause will immediately trigger the invocation of this clause.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Amendment III:
Section Editors are nominated by the Executive Editor however, candidates must be approved by ⅗ of the Editorial Board before becoming a Section Editor. Article I, Sections 3 and 4 apply to the process of choosing a Section Editor.
To remove a Section Editor, a 5/5 vote must be cast by the Editorial Board. When removed, the Section Editor can still be an Editor but is subject to removal from that position.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Amendment IV:
If an article is rejected, a reason must be given and an appeal can be made to appear before the Editorial Board. To overturn the rejection, ⅗ of the Editorial Board must approve.
– Passed on 9/12/2020, amended on 1/17/2022
Amendment V:
To submit a formal motion, an email or form of communication to the members of the Editorial Board must be written. Motions can also be brought up during meetings. Only members of the Editorial Board can submit a formal motion.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Amendment VI:
To demote or promote a member of the Editorial Board, a ⅘ vote must be cast. This would mean moving Editor-at-large to Deputy Editor, or any other movements of positions.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Amendment VII:
Regarding Article II, Section 5, once the Executive Editor has chosen his candidate for his successor, the candidate must present himself or herself before the Editorial Board and promote himself or herself. The candidate is guaranteed to be the successor unless ⅘ of the Editorial Board votes to block him.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Amendment VIII:
A meeting of the Editorial Board must at least occur once every month and is called by the Executive Editor.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Amendment IX:
When attempting to pass motions not specified in the constitution and having to do with the general welfare of the website, a ⅗ vote is necessary. If it does not meet the approval of the Executive Editor, then a ⅘ majority vote from the Board is required.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Amendment X:
For first-level positions, the Board can overrule a rejection or admittance by the Executive Editor with a ⅘ vote.
– Passed on 9/12/2020
Amendment XI:
As of the passage of this amendment, the “Advisory Board” of The Outspoken was created. This Advisory Board intends to advise the current executive editor. The membership goes to former executive editors.
– Passed on 3/28/2021, amended on 1/17/2022
Ratification Signatures:
Ethan Kim: Executive Editor
Charlie Park: Deputy Editor
Noah Chun: Editor-at-Large
Edwin Tieu: Managing Editor
Mason Pirkey: Development Editor
Ratified – 9/12/2020
The primary author of these terms and policies is Ethan Kim with the aid of Noah Chun and Mason Pirkey. An organized system of rules is meant to enforce the mission of civil dialogue. The democratic process within the editorial board mirrors that of equal participation in that mission and holds those who go against it accountable. A law is only as good as its enforcement, so may the current and future editorial board adhere to these rules.