Archive:Ombudsman/Archive 1

Please post any correspondence relating to my actions as Ombudsman on the Talk page of this article

The role of the Ombudsman is established by the following articles of the Charter:

Article 28: The Ombudsman shall be nominated by the Combined Councils and appointed by majority Citizen vote at the same time that the Editorial Council elections occur. Any citizen in good standing may be nominated for Ombudsman.

Article 39:

1. The role of the Ombudsman is a) to offer guidance on existing policy and its interpretation to help resolve disputes b) to advise the Councils and c) settle disputes, including imposing interim solutions pending relevant policy decisions. Throughout, the Ombudsman's guidance is expected to be in accord with the established principles and policies of Citizendium, and particularly with the Charter. The Ombudsman is available to mediate any dispute.
2. The Ombudsman mediates a dispute when requested by all involved parties or when requested by the Chief Constable. Agreements worked out through mediation shall be binding but may be appealed.

Article 40: Whenever possible, disputes shall be settled informally at the lowest possible level by subject matter Editors. Specifically, the following shall apply:

1.Any party involved in a dispute may contact the Ombudsman for assistance in dispute resolution.

2.When a formal decision is necessary or demanded, the Ombudsman shall facilitate the presentation of the issue to the appropriate body — Editorial Council for content disputes, Management Council for disputes involving violation of the rules.

Article 44: The Management Council shall create a procedure allowing for dispute resolution to be heard privately. Privately heard disputes forfeit their right to appeal on technical grounds, although an appeal will still be possible upon discovery of new information. •In some cases, either at the discretion of the adjudicating council or at the request of a disputant, part of a public dispute resolution process may be removed from public view. Such an exception shall require public justification by the Ombudsman.

Mode of practice

The role of Ombudsman is not that of judge or jury, nor is it to recommend or impose sanctions. My interpretation of the role is a) to offer guidance on existing policy and its interpretation to help resolve disputes b) to advise the Editorial Council and c) propose mechanisms for settling disputes, including proposing interim solutions pending relevant policy decisions. Throughout, I expect my guidance to be in accord with the established principles and policies of Citizendium, and particularly with the Charter. (See, for instance, Neutrality policy)

Any citizen may post a request for my assistance on the discussion page that is associated with this page. My involvement depends on my available time, and may not be speedy.

It will help if requests are as precise as possible in identifying the nature of the dispute. If asked to comment I may begin by asking whether I am being invited to offer a swift interim resolution, or to begin a process of reconciliation of opposing views. If I am clearly asked by disputing parties to propose a summary resolution, then I will expect that to be binding on all parties (including those not directly involved in the dispute), and I will expect that to forestall further discussion on that issue.

If invited to intervene in any dispute, I will begin by specifying what the Charter and any other relevant rules require.

I will post a record of my involvement in disputes on these pages.

See Also CZ:Dispute Resolution CZ:Article Deletion Policy CZ:Article Inclusion Policy CZ:Professionalism CZ:Neutrality Policy