It aims at providing a platform for expressing ideas on every aspect of ESN, where self-censorship and short-life of posts are less problematic than in the other communication channels of ESN. The concept of Speak Out revolves around three essential aspects:
Right to anonymity of authors: to focus on the message, not the identity, of the authors, and to limit self-censorship. Thematic storage of
articles: for long-term and easy access to articles. Respect of a set of publication rules: to avoid partisanship, unfounded rumors and personal shaming. ESN has reached a size where its highly pyramidal structure and the voluntary involvement of its members make it challenging to express opinions which may question the current status of our organization. Raising a question about a decision or the work of a fellow volunteer is often regarded as uncivil and demotivating, to the point where challenging the status quo or providing feedback should only be made in private. Although this can protect some of its members from getting their feelings hurt, it can on the long run result in a significant self-censorship over many interesting ideas, or loss of information which never becomes public. Right of anonymity:
Although the need to respect individual members of ESN is essential, ESN loses many opportunities to improve and reform itself, as some of the most interesting opinions in ESN never leave the closed circle of a few tens of people. In other words, some ESNers have great insights which they prefer never to express publicly. It can be out of concern from being “the grumpy one”, or from reluctance to opposing publicly the opinions of true friends they’ve made in ESN. It can also be out of fear that their opinion about private or institutional partners of ESN could be detrimental to the network. And it can also be because these people have some hope to reach higher positions in ESN, and know expressing some opinions publicly could jeopardize their prospects, or they fear what they wrote will be disregarded because it comes from them, because they have an agenda. Speak Out aims at addressing the concern of these people, by providing a place where they can express their ideas without fear that their opinion gets distorted, or that the authors themselves get defined by certain statements. That is why Speak Out proposes its authors to publish under anonymity. Thematic Storage of Articles:
Although ESN has made great progress in storing and disseminating information, it remains difficult to find or refer to long-standing discussions. The ESN Wiki is a valuable resource for storing relevant documents or useable tools, but it is not meant to hold overviews of discussions or critical analysis. These could prove valuable long after they are initially published, so storing and archiving them in a way, which makes them easily accessible, would be highly beneficial, two weeks or two years from now. Speak Out aims at providing such a platform with a mind-set on long-term relevance. By being a website accessible to owners of Galaxy Accounts, articles can be easily shared with any member, or groups of members, of ESN. By using a tag arborescence, Speak Out allows its users to find relevant information depending on their interests. The possibility to comment on articles allows the sharing of different opinions, or addition of complementary information after the initial article has been published. Respect of Publication Rules and Editorial Board:
Creating an ESN communication channel independent from the official ones, and where anonymity is allowed, opens the door to an entirely free expression of ideas. However, this can also lead to detrimental effects, such as the risks of rumors or nominative attacks. To mitigate these risks, Speak Out is managed by an Editorial Board whose responsibility is to monitor and process the publication of articles which hold to certain standard of ethics and quality. The defining concepts of what can and should be published on Speak Out are described in the editorial line, which amounts to a set of rules for publications. The role of the Editorial Board is also to guarantee the anonymity of the authors who request it, and to maintain the activity of the platform.
