Community-led development "The Apache Way"
by Daniel Ruggeri and Sally Khudairi
The following information is provided as guiding requirements for anyone participating in external communications such as presentations, social media, blogs, interviews and conference calls. Because all of these communication channels can be nuanced and the world is not always black and white, we are always happy to help. Please feel free to reach out any time to ASF Marketing & Publicity at press@apache.org for clarification or guidance and consider attending Media & Analyst Training at an upcoming ApacheCon.
Neutrality is a MUST
The ASF not only prides itself on being a place for all to come and participate, it is also a legal requirement to maintain our status as a 501(c)(3). It is therefore imperative that we maintain a consistent approach to external communications. Endorsements of public officials/politics/legislation, and recommendations for products/services offered by external entities are explicitly disallowed. Statements in support or criticism of other entities (non-profits, public causes, consortia, etc.) --official or otherwise-- are very uncommon and must be consulted with press@ prior to being made.
Wear your ASF hat only when needed
The ASF is a volunteer-driven organization that recognizes individual contributions. It is therefore expected that individuals are giving their own opinion when delivering external messages. By default, an individual does not speak on behalf of The ASF (because after all, we are a community). However, there are certain times where you may need to speak on behalf of the foundation. When doing this, and in compliance with the rest of this document, you should sign/announce with your ASF hat (member, officer, director, etc). It is not acceptable for personal opinions expressed in external communications to have an ASF title in the signature or by line.
Active disclaimers
For messages by officers and directors that may venture into gray areas, a simple statement of "hat" is required near the beginning or summary of the external communication. Examples of gray areas are statements on topics The ASF has no official opinion on, opinions shared that are not consistent with The ASF's stance, and statements that are not perceived to be neutral.
A preferred boilerplate follows: This (post|presentation|response|email) represents my own personal opinion. It does not necessarily reflect the official stance of The Apache Software Foundation.
You are always on the record
It is particularly important for officers and directors to remember that they are practically always on the record. Following the requirements in this document helps ensure consistent messaging and that statements made are done with the correct hat, but extra diligence is required for those bearing "official" titles. This may require a more prominent disclaimer or even deferring response until the statement can be reviewed for release.
Engage carefully and with CoC in mind
Regardless of hat worn and channel of message, adherence to the ASF Code of Conduct is required at all times. It is available at https://apache.org/foundation/policies/conduct
RTC
Just like how a release cannot be "un-released" once it has been publicly announced, external communications and messages cannot be taken back. As such, any message that MAY be perceived as being an ASF-official statement must be reviewed by press@ before submission. This applies across all channels. Stated explicitly, external communications follow The ASF standard of Review Then Commit (RTC) as opposed to Commit Then Review (CTR).
Consistency of message/do no harm
Messages that are derogatory to The ASF or inconsistent with the official stance of The ASF are not to be made as official statements of The ASF. This IS NOT intended to prohibit free speech or to prevent having an opinion that runs counter to The ASF. In fact, this diversity of thought is encouraged and should be discussed internally! However, external communications that MAY be construed as being an ASF official statement must be consistent with the stance of The ASF. This is particularly why external communications are RTC –cases of inconsistency should be detected and corrected during the review process.
Context matters
Be cognizant of the context surrounding an external communication. Potentially controversial messages in slide decks, for example, can be misunderstood because those reading the slides outside or after the presentation will miss a large portion of the message. Other examples include personal responses on social media/ASF lists to official ASF statements.
Your words matter
Even though you may state that you are providing your personal opinion, there is no guarantee that the media or others will not interpret or project that you are speaking in your official ASF role. It is not uncommon to have your ASF title attached to your personal statement, no matter how many times you insist otherwise: a contentious statement made by an ASF official is much more quote- and click-worthy than by someone who may be less recognizable otherwise. Furthermore, it may be purposely used as an official ASF statement, so please be careful with your words.