01/12/2025
Sexual harassment, assault and discrimination is an ongoing problem in our industry. As a group with a majority of women leaders, we understand that this issue affects all of us. Professionally, we strive to hold abusers accountable and tell the stories of survivors with dignity and respect as we detailed in a previous https://nppa.org/news/703. Personally, we know how devastatingly common it is that many never face consequences for their actions, and too few survivors are embraced with compassion and grace.
Thursday, January 9, 2025, myself, NPPA President Carey Wagner and Deputy General Counsel Alicia Calzada met with a group of broadcast visual leaders to address the concerns from members in NPPA’s abilities to provide safe environments at our events and review the process to effectively adjudicate when members are harmed. We thank all who met with us and provided critical feedback and constructive ideas on how we can improve and make substantive changes.
From that meeting, below are some steps we are taking, along with immediate and long-term goals, some of which are based on input we received this week, and some of which we had already implemented. We expect the new advisory committee, led by Anne Herbst, to make additional suggestions.
Existing Procedures and Policies:
• Anti-harassment policy https://nppa.org/gov/policies , Code of Ethics https://nppa.org/resources/code-ethics and Code of Conduct
• Judiciary committee https://nppa.org/gov/judiciary and procedures
• Events are required to post and share information about our policies, https://nppa.org/gov/policies our commitments, and how to report a problem, to event attendees so that they can be aware of where to go if needed. This was implemented in early 2024.
• Mentors and mentees are required to sign anti-harassment agreements as a condition of participation in our Mentorship Program. Mandatory online review of policies are required before participation.
Immediate Next Steps:
• To create an online form for reporting concerns and complaints
• The formation of an advisory committee to review all workshops/conferences; their leadership structure, policies and process, (specifically the News Video Workshop as a priority). A timeline will be established of when and what actions are to be taken. Anne Herbst has volunteered to lead this committee and I will be the board/staff liaison.
• Distribution of packets containing our anti-harassment policy, the code of conduct and all other materials needed, will be provided several weeks in advance to event staff, volunteers, and faculty. The Code of Conduct will be available in digital form and will be required to be signed several weeks before the start of any and all NPPA events.
• To contract with an independent consultant to provide mandatory training to NPPA event leaders, faculty and volunteers with a focus on anti-harassment and ethics.
• To have an NPPA executive board member and/or executive director to attend all events to ensure workshops and conferences are conducted properly.
Goals for the next few weeks:
• Develop mandatory online training program for all event chairs and volunteers, with several offerings per year
• Independent investigation to look into all workshops to determine if policies are in effect
• Finalize and distribute event guidance packet (covers all policies, not just conduct)
• Receive and implement additional agreed upon suggestions from the committee
We recognize and empathize with the pain many of our members have endured at the hands of abusive individuals both in and outside of the profession. We have incredible respect and admiration for survivors who speak up and cast aside their stability and peace to protect our community of visual journalists. We are committed to providing a safe environment for all who attend our events and will make every effort to make the necessary changes.
If anyone has any additional comments, questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].
Respectfully,
Akili-Casundria Ramsess
NPPA Executive Director
The Policies and Procedures of the National Press Photographers Association. Membership (Dues), Elections & Appointments, Duties of Officeholders (Oath of Office), Committees (Judiciary), Student Chapters, Records, Special Programs, Harassment Policy, Event Diversity & Inclusion, Social Media Use Po...
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