10/26/1998 - 2415

WVA Press Secretary Public Statement Policy

India (VNN) - It is recognized that from time to time it is not only important, butessential that the WVA make public statements regarding not only secularbut also ecumenical matters. Therefore the position of WVA PressSecretary has been created along with a policy for issuing publicstatements and press releases:

1. On non time-sensitive issues requiring an action or policy statementby the WVA, the Press Secretary will solicit input from WVA officers andrelevant committee heads who are active WVA participants (as opposed topassive members and supporters) before formulating and issuing any publicstatement.

2. On time-sensitive issues requiring immediate action the PressSecretary will contact or attempt to contact the Administrative Secretary,and the secretaries of the Secular World Committee and the Siddhanta GuruVarga Dignity Committee prior to issuing any statement on behalf of theWVA. Examples of time-sensitive issues include, but are not limited tonewspaper, radio, television or Internet news items which attack thecharacter and or authenticity of Vaishnavism in general, the Vedicscriptures, the Personality of Godhead, etc., or which present false ordistorted images of the same.

3. WVA missions or members who come across such news items in theircountries or communities are requested to immediately forward a transcriptof the same to the WVA Press Secretary, Siddhanta Guru Varga DignitySecretary and Administrative Secretary. Since many of the articles willhave a local rather than global flavor, members should also send aproposed response. After conferring with one another the Press Secretarywill then issue a statement on behalf of the WVA. Under no circumstancesmay any individual member circumvent this process and directly issue astatement or response on behalf of the WVA although certainly they havefull freedom to speak or issue a statement on behalf of their mission.

4. Understanding that different acharyas or different Vaishnava missionsmay sometimes hold different opinions regarding preaching strategy as wellas dealings with--and events within--the secular and ecumenicalcommunities, the WVA Press Secretary pledges to only issue statements onbehalf of the WVA when it is his earnest belief and understanding thatsuch statements represent the opinion of the greater majority of all WVAmembers and therefore the best interests of the worldwide Vaishnavacommunity.

5. In the event any WVA member feels any WVA press statement does notreflect the opinion of his own mission or does not agree with the contentof a particular WVA statement, he is welcome to issue a statement in thename of his own mission which outlines that missions individual viewpoint.However as a matter of Vaishnava etiquette and to avoid damaging the imageof a unified WVA, such a statement should not criticize the WVA for theviewpoint expressed in its statement. Furthermore the member should notrepresent himself in such a statement as a WVA member, but rather shouldspeak only in the capacity of representative of his own mission.