Press Release October 18, 2013
Following recent events, Bora Zivkovic has offered his resignation from Scientific American, and Scientific American has decided to accept that resignation.
The Scientific American Blog Network is a vibrant group of voices who challenge, educate and widen the discussion about science and science communication, and Bora played an important part in that. The bloggers who write on the Scientific American Blog Network are important to us, as is the science online community. We will be in regular contact with members of the Scientific American Blog Network over the coming days. Learning from recent events, we are also looking at how we support our bloggers in future.
Scientific American has an anti-harassment policy. We offer live and online anti-harassment training to those who manage employees. We’ve recently begun providing such training to individuals who work with freelancers and contractors as well. We take allegations, such as those that have appeared online this week, very seriously. When Monica Byrne contacted Scientific American a year ago, we investigated her report, offered the Company’s apologies and Ms. Byrne acknowledged in her blog that she was satisfied with our response. We were unaware of any additional allegations until this week. Our investigation of those is continuing and we will investigate any additional allegations that are reported to us. For employees, our employee handbooks and policies provide detailed information about how incidents should be reported. Our corporate Code of Conduct is publicly accessible online here: http://se.macmillan.com/Who-We-Are/Responsible-business/Responsible-business/. It includes contacts for reporting inappropriate behavior.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Grace Baynes Head of Corporate Communications, Nature Publishing Group Tel: +44 (20) 7014 4063 Email: g.baynes@nature.com
Fuck. Just once I’d like to be wrong in always wondering if there’s more, when I hear that someone’s been exposed as having harassed someone. Just once. :/
CC, IMO you may safely assume you will never be wrong.
It is obviously most difficult to be first. That’s why I suggest just one trusted person on a popular blog site or organization volunteer to receive harrassment reports that can be as anonymous as a sender may wish. If two reports on the same offender are received the only thing the volunteer would do initially is inform each sender that one or more other reports have been received. Immediately each sender would understand that she/he is not alone, that it was not her fault, that she did not imagine or exaggerate.
The offenders reputation would be protected up to this point and he/she would not be named unless and until the reporters themselves should decide to go further. I do not see that the volunteer would be liable, however I am not a lawyer. I do not see that it would endanger the innocent or the misunderstood.
@2 ludicrous: Sorry to be late to this “fun” “party” due to “work” and other “fun” stuff. Your idea seems ingenious and creative and constructive. Good job.
Oh, and also supportive. Important point, often overlooked IMO.
That’s all for now. Thanks.