2018 FAIR CAMPAIGN PROVISIONS
The Bylaws require every Staff member (paid and unpaid, including management) to sign the statement that they have read and understand these Fair Campaign Provisions. This should be returned to the General Manager at the station.
Candidates must submit signed Cover Letters which state they have read the Fair Campaign Provisions (found in their Candidate Nomination Packet) no later than 9:00 PM local time on October 27, 2018.
The goal of these provisions is to ensure fair elections. Part of their purpose is to prevent staff, who have access to station resources, from having undue influence on listener elections.
2018 FAIR CAMPAIGN PROVISIONS for the Pacifica Foundation’s Delegate Elections
There are two types of Fair Campaign Provisions: those mandated by the Bylaws, and those proposed by the National Election Supervisor and adopted by the management of the Foundation as a matter of policy.
Fair Campaign Provisions mandated by the Bylaws: (edited and numbered for easier reading, with additional clarifications)
- No Foundation or radio station management or staff (paid or unpaid) may use or permit the use of radio station air time to endorse, campaign or recommend in favor of, or against any candidates for election as a Listener-Sponsor Delegate, nor may air time be made available to some Listener- Sponsor Delegate candidates but not to others, in any capacity, whether as host, guest, caller, or other, whether live or recorded, including to discuss matters not directly related to station elections.
- All candidates for election as a Listener-Sponsor Delegate shall be given equal opportunity for equal air time, which air time shall include time for a statement by the candidate and a question and answer period with call in listener.
- No foundation or radio station management or staff (paid or unpaid) may give any on-air endorsements to any candidates for Listener-Sponsor Delegate.
- The Board of Directors may not, nor may the LSB, nor any committee of the Board or of an LSB, as a body, endorse any candidates for election as a Delegate. However, an individual Director or Delegate who is a Member in good standing may endorse or sign petitions for candidates in his/her individual capacity.
- In the event of any violation of these provisions for fair campaigning, the local Elections Supervisor and the National Elections Supervisor shall determine, in good faith and at their sole discretion, an appropriate remedy, up to and including disqualification of the candidates and/or suspension from the air of the offending staff persons (paid or unpaid) for the remainder of the elections period.
- All candidates, programmers and staff members (paid or unpaid, management or non-management) shall sign a statement certifying that they have read and understood these fair campaign provisions.
Additional Fair Campaign Provisions proposed by the National Election Supervisor and adopted by the Foundation Executive Director.
7. Internet endorsements (meaning for or against any named candidate): All staff and management that maintain a website with station logos, call letters and/or references to station programs are subject to, and shall be bound by these rules:
a) Endorsements of candidates or prospective candidates on any official Pacifica web sites are not permitted, either explicitly or via hyperlink to another web-page.
b) Endorsements of candidates or prospective candidates on any websites hyperlinked from official station web sites are not permitted.
c) Any website not linked from an official web site, which any station or Foundation staff or management maintain or contribute to, bearing the logo, names or partial names of an official Pacifica website but which is, in fact, independent of any Pacifica station, can endorse candidates but must include the following disclaimer (point d. below) prominently, on any page that mentions a listener candidate, in order to make clear that the website is not an official Pacifica website.
d) Disclaimer to be used on any website bearing the names or partial names of an official Pacifica website but independent of any Pacifica station. “DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Pacifica Foundation website nor an official website of any of the five Pacifica Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio). Opinions and facts alleged on this site belong to the author(s) of the website only and should NOT be assumed to be true or to reflect the editorial stance or policy of the Pacifica Foundation, or any of the five Pacifica Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio), or the opinions of its management, Pacifica National Board, station staff or other listener members.”
e) Endorsement emails (web-based & list-serve) are permitted only if the email addresses were not gathered by the use of any station resources or web site.
8. Station Resources: No station resources, including, but not limited to staff services, equipment, and meeting space, may be provided unequally to some candidates but not others.
9. When Fair Campaign Provisions Begin:
a) A listener member will be deemed a candidate, and thus subject to all Fair Campaign Provisions, once the individual has requested a nomination packet from the Local Election Supervisor or downloaded a packet online. The Local Election Supervisor will provide to the General Manager, and post on the elections web site, a list of all Listener-Sponsor Delegate Candidate Staff will be expected to check this list before scheduling any guests, playing any pre-recorded piece, or recording any carts with listeners, etc. in order to assure compliance with the Fair Campaign Provisions.
b) For all Foundation and station staff and management, the Fair Campaign Provisions commence on June 1, 2016 with the opening of the nomination period, and apply to both active candidates and prospective candidates described in section 9 above.
10. Listener-organized meeting announcements: Any listeners may organize community meetings to bring together listeners and prospective candidates for the purpose of learning about prospective candidates and collecting petition signatures. Any such events may be announced on-air provided they have been approved by the Local Election Supervisor, are open to all nominated candidates, are open to any listener, are in a handicap-accessible location, do not endorse any candidates, and do not raise money for any candidates, or promote events to raise money for any candidates.
11. The Foundation and stations will not allow the expression of libelous or slanderous statements about candidates through any of its resources, whether on-air, web sites, or otherwise.
12. Candidates are not permitted to call in to shows or have their voice recorded on a cart other than an approved candidate cart, even if they do not use their names, since not all candidates can be included in a call-in show or cart.
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