UGLE Communications Policy – A Reminder
A message from the communications and IT Team.
We have been notified about several posts which have been posted on personal social media pages, and are well aware of the current tensions and protests which are happening all around the UK and that many people are feeling anger for various reasons.
There is also a lot of mis-reporting and manipulation from within Social Media Outlets, which many of us may wish to comment upon or make our feelings known.
We are also aware that we live in a democracy with Freedom of speech, however please note that as Freemasons we are all Digital Ambassadors, therefore:
“As a citizen every Freemason has a duty not to engage in conduct which is contrary to the law of the land. As a Freemason he also has a duty not to engage in activity which may bring Freemasonry into disrepute. [Excerpt from Rule 179 of the Book of Constitutions]“
In the current political climate, it is more important than ever that Freemasons are assuring that their political beliefs and their membership of Freemasonry are not conflated. On social media, this is particularly prevalent and we advise that members take every step necessary to make sure that political beliefs are not posted or shared on masonic accounts. Such an action brings Freemasonry into disrepute by undermining the key fact that Freemasonry is a non-political organisation.
It is important to note that any interactions a Freemason has on social media may be visible to anyone in the world, for, while it is possible to restrict the audience of one’s posts, it is not possible to control how someone will react to them. A private post can easily be shared and reposted publicly by anyone who has access to it. Even if an original post is deleted or edited, someone could already have shared it in its original form. As far as social media are concerned, everything one does or says is permanently recorded, and there is no such thing as a truly private post.
Therefore, acting as an ambassador for Freemasonry online is part of a Freemason’s duty. Rules (civic and Masonic) and expectations that apply to one’s daily conduct apply equally within the digital sphere, as comments may be taken out of context and used as representative of the views of the United Grand Lodge of England.
The Full UGLE Policy can be seen below:
