The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
[Main archive index/search] [List information] [Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]
Dear List, It appears as if increased tension regarding a possible war with Iraq is having an effect upon the quality of contributions to the Discussion List. CASI has a particular mandate which it seeks to further, namely informing debate so as to help towards the ending of sanctions, and the Discussion List is an important tool in achieving that goal. As a result if in any doubt List users are asked to consult the CASI website for guidelines as to appropriate postings. In particular the content of postings should principally be concerned with sanctions. Postings are ideally informative or contain insightful criticism based upon some referable evidence. Obviously the ongoing weapons inspections have an impact upon the sanctions debate and so comment upon these may be highly relavant. Similarly possible humanitarian consequences of a conflict for the civilian population are of great concern to members of the CASI Discussion List. However purely political commentary on the motivations of the United States, Saddam Hussein etc. should perhaps at this sensitive time, be kept to a minimum. If such debate is engaged in it must, at the very least, remain amicable and above personal abuse. If one feels the absolute need to respond in personal or abusive terms please restrict yourself to doing so to the person directly concerned and DO NOT share it with the entire Discussion List. The only function this possibly serves is to dilute the quality of debate. Similarly if one is merely thanking a contributor, or asking for clarification on a particular point do consider contacting them directly. Ideally postings to the List should be of potential benefit to all users. Finally, most news articles should be sent to newsclippings@casi.org.uk for inclusion in the weekly news postings and not to the discussion list, unless they are really urgent or particularly important and new. Before sending news items it is also advisable to check the List Archive first to ensure they have not previously been posted by another List member. I apologise for the somewhat dedactic tone. It is however important that the quality of debate on the List remains high for it to continue to be of real value. -- Trevor Redmond CASI Lists Manager _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk