Skeptic's Code of Conduct

Following recent drama, I think we need a code of conduct for our "community", such as it is: something that we can point to and say "this is what you have failed to live up to." This isn't a statement of beliefs or a proposal for laws. It's a commitment to ethical actions and a description of what actions I consider to be ethical. 

Part 1: Personal Integrity
-- I will endeavor to be honest and to honestly represent any topic I cover.
-- If I am asked to or if it would be necessary if I was to turn in my piece of media as a part of an academic discussion or as a news story, I will cite my sources.
-- If I have misunderstood, misquoted, or been misled by a source, I will acknowledge my mistake as quickly as possible and take whatever actions are necessary to correct it.
-- I will hold myself personally accountable for my own actions and for the natural and reasonably anticipated consequences of my actions. If an action I take has a consequence that a reasonable person could not have anticipated, I will not hold myself accountable for that consequence.
-- I will not serve as an accomplice to nor hold myself accountable for the unethical actions of others, whether or not I could have been expected to anticipate those actions. I am responsible only for what I myself do and say.
-- I will not use the actions of others as an alternative to supporting my own moral positions; my moral positions must stand and fall on their own.
-- I will not insult any aspect of a person's identity as an alternative to an argument against their position, although I may include insults when I am arguing.
-- If I have made mistakes in the past or failed to live up to a high moral code, I will freely acknowledge those mistakes and will take all reasonable actions to correct them. However, I will not hold myself in contempt for those actions in perpetuity; after I have done whatever action is necessary to right the wrong I have done, whether that is apologizing to the wronged party, paying restitution, or completing a punishment mandated by a court, I will consider the matter closed.

Part 2: Interpersonal Interactions
-- I will endeavor to be ethical in my dealings with other people.
-- I will always try to take the most charitable interpretation of other people's actions and words.
-- If I am insulted by something you have said or done, I will bring the topic up to you personally and ask you to clarify. I will give you a chance to respond either by defending your position or by correcting it and I will give you a platform to correct me if I have misunderstood or misrepresented what you have said or done.
-- If your activity was done on your own time and not as a part of your paid or unpaid responsibilities at any company you work or volunteer for, I will not contact your employer with my complaint. If it was done as part of your employment and as part of your duties as an employee, I will hold your employer responsible and will not hold it against you personally.
-- No matter what disagreements we may have had in the past, if you commit to ethical standards and demonstrate a commitment to actually living up to those standards, I will not hold your past against you. If after committing to ethical standards, you then revert to previous unethical behaviors, I will hold all your actions (past and present) against you and may decline to trust you if you claim to have changed once more.
-- I will be gracious in accepting apologies and will respect other people's opinions as long as they are able to morally justify them, even if I disagree with their justifications. If they are unable to provide a moral justification or their moral justifications require the violation of their own moral code to be believed, I will not respect their opinions. Even if I do not agree with or respect their opinions and believe that the opinions are immoral, I will respect their right to hold their opinions so long as their actions do not infringe the legally protected rights of others. 
-- In the event that someone's actions are contrary to the laws of my country, I will cooperate with local law enforcement to the extent required by law. If their actions are contrary to the laws of my country but not the laws of the country in which they commit the activity, or conversely if their actions are contrary to the laws of the country in which they commit the activity but not to the laws of my country, I reserve the right to not inform or cooperate with the law enforcement of that jurisdiction unless compelled by my own government to do so. For example, if a Saudi citizen living in Saudi Arabia were to privately contact me with statements considered blasphemous under Saudi law, I would not contact the Saudi authorities. However, if someone in another country were to threaten me to an extent to which I felt that I was in danger, I would contact my country's authorities.
-- I will not use the force of the law nor the reporting systems of social media platforms to bully, coerce, or threaten you. I will respond maturely and as calmly as possible to threats made against me, whether real or perceived, and will use the proper channels to do so.