Running Futurismic is a big responsibility – not because anyone makes it that way for me, but because I chose to take it on and make it the kind of science fiction site I wish there were more of. This applies very much to content, but extends to certain ethical considerations as well.
I’m a great believer in transparency as a guiding principle; I’m not obliged to explain myself or my editorial policies, but there are times I feel it’s the right thing to do – and recent events on better-known sites have demonstrated that it’s best to be upfront about anything that might be considered controversial by our readers.
Futurismic‘s Fiction sidebar entries are there to show support for other web publishers, large and small. In the absence of a huge (or even small) pot of money to donate to them, I support them by linking to them – it’s the baksheesh of the internet.
I don’t judge the sites on the quality of their fiction or their presentation; that’s a choice for you the reader to make for yourself. That they’re down here in the trenches putting blood, sweat, free time and eyestrain into publishing writers and giving readers fresh sf content is enough for me. That fits with my ethics for people who deserve what little support I can provide.
But I won’t support a site whose guiding ethics and attitudes I find myself repulsed by. Hence I’ve removed a certain site from the sidebar, and will be expunging all other links to it from Futurismic‘s content. If you want to know why, this will explain it.