[etni] the right of free speech on the ETNI list

Hi all,
You will have noticed, at times, that a message comes through to the list signed "anonymous". This is in agreement with the ETNI guideline that an ETNI member can send an anonymous message through to the list as long as I know the identity of the original sender (this guideline was decided a while ago through a vote over the list as to whether to allow anonymous messages at all).
One of the reasons for anonymous postings is that many teachers fear that they will harm their professional status by sending critical messages to the list. I thought that many of them were overly paranoid in this respect until it was brought to my attention that there have been a number of incidences in the past where teachers have been personally reprimanded by inspectors from the Ministry for sending a critical message to the list.
I find such behaviour by inspectors to be quite worrisome. The ETNI list is a place for open discussion, and if you don't believe in this basic right of free speech, then you have no reason for being here.
Perhaps I am overly optimistic, or even naive, but I have always believed that the ETNI list can be a place for open discussion involving both teachers and Ministry personnel.
But let me make myself perfectly clear. If I hear again of a specific case of an inspector approaching a teacher behind the scenes and reprimanding him/her for something that he/she has written to the list, I will unsubscribe that inspector from the list and ban him/her from subscribing to the list again.
I have worked hard to maintain the integrity of the list over the last twelve years, and I will continue to do so. In moderating the list, I try to make sure that messages that harm the integrity of the list (are clearly in bad taste, contain personal attacks, spam content, etc.), do not make it through to the list. If you feel that I am wrong in letting a certain message through to the list - for whatever reason - you are welcome to approach me personally on this matter and/or raise this matter over the list. 


David



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