The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the body that gives out the Oscars, has approved a new “Standards of Conducts” for its members, nearly two months after Harvey Weinstein was kicked out. The statement of values was sent out in a letter to members Thursday.
The statement came after Academy Governor and Officer David Rubun and a task force spent “many hours of research and discussion to drafting this document and evaluating future steps,” reports Variety.
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“In addition to achieving excellence in the field of motion picture arts and sciences, members must also behave ethically by upholding the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity,” AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson wrote. “The Academy asks that members embrace their responsibility to affirm these principles and act when these principles are violated.”
She added that the Academy has “no place” for members who “abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency.”
The Academy is also “opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality.”
“Over the course of weeks, the task force consulted with professors of ethics, business, philosophy, and law from Georgetown, Harvard, Notre Dame, and Stanford, as well as experts in human resources and sexual harassment,” the letter read. The group also met with members of the Television Academy and the British Film and Television Academy and looked at other codes of conduct.
“Much remains to be done,” Hudson wrote. “The task force will finalize procedures for handling allegations of misconduct, assuring that we can address them fairly and expeditiously … Those procedures will be sent to you in the new year.”
The letter was sent almost two months after Weinstein was expelled from the Academy by its Board of Governors in an emergency meeting after the bombshell reports of his sexual misconduct. It was only the second time in its 90-year history that the Academy expelled a member.
“What’s at issue here is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society,” the Academy said at the time. “The board continues to work to establish ethical standards of conduct that all Academy member will be expected to exemplify.”
