Comment Deletion Policy

In order to more effectively and consistently moderate my own discussion forums, this Comment Deletion Policy will apply to all visitors to my column. Visitors will see a disclaimer among the first comments on my posts that includes a link to this page. Failure to read this policy before posting is not an excuse for ignoring any of these guidelines.

My deletion policy
This comment deletion policy derives its authority from the Recommended Guidelines for Newsvine Members section "Comment Moderation and Your Column," Item 1, which reads:

"Moderating the discussions that take place on your column is your responsibility. Users are expected to be the first line of moderation, depending on staff to make judgment calls on borderline cases and in dealing with repeat offenders."

In accordance with the Recommended Guidelines for Newsvine Members section "Comment Moderation and Your Column," Item 2, which reads:

"When deleting the comment(s) of another user, provide them with an explanation as well as instruction as to how they can participate constructively, citing the Code of Honor when appropriate."

Comments that I delete will most often go beneath this page. They will appear, in italics, as the most recent comment at the bottom of the page, followed by a response explaining the deletion. Users visiting this page to discuss said comment may do so under that comment only. Comments appearing outside of the appropriate context will be deleted. If I accrue an excessive number of comments from a single user or group of users, I will file a formal complaint with the Newsvine staff.

Of course, the Newsvine Code of Honor is always the first and foremost set of rules when submitting comments. However, any charges that I, myself, or other contributors have "broken the code" must be accompanied by a quotation from the Code of Honor itself and an explanation of how that selection applies to the charge. Charges of breaking the Code of Honor that are unaccompanied by an appropriate quotation may be subject to deletion.

Criticisms Civil discourse is always welcome, including criticism. But if you have criticisms, you are expected to have read what you're criticizing in its entirety. No gut reactions to the title, caption or what you think the general content might be. To this end, contentious criticisms that do not provide textual citations of the material being criticized may be subject to deletion.

Insults and epithets
An insult or an epithet does not mean "heated speech," which is common in any good discussion. Rather, blatant insults or epithets that constitute a "personal attack" are subject to immediate deletion in accordance with item 1 of the Code of Honor and Recommended Guidelines for Newsvine Members section "Commenting" item 3:

Unsubstantiated claims

User responsibilities
Any commentary containing unsubstantiated claims may receive a reply giving the contributor 24 hours in principle (usually 48 hours in reality) to justify those claims. This may be accomplished in one of two ways: by the provision of "proof" or "context." The user may use his or her own discretion when deciding what method to use in substantiating claims. Failure to provide proof or context upon request may, in some rare cases, result in deletion.

"Proof" constitutes a link to or cited quotation from a legitimate journalistic, academic, governmental, reference or otherwise established source. Proof is a way to directly back up a given claim with external material.

"Context" constitutes an expansion of a given idea in order to establish what is intended by it, usually in the furtherance of an ethical, philosophical, ideological or rhetorical claim. In essence, how did you arrive at a claim that you believe to be true but which is difficult to prove with facts.

My responsibilities
In the course of writing material for publication on Newsvine, users may publish whatever they like on their own column. Thus within my own material opinion pieces and satire may not always include citations. However, upon request, I will usually provide proof or context for unsubstantiated material on my articles so long as the request is respectfully stated.

When I visit someone else's column, I consider it my responsibility to live up to the expectations I have of visitors to my own column.

Quotations
Although it is sometimes implied that Newsvine users should not be quoted by name, I don't accept it. Newsvine deals with news, current affairs, politics and a wide array of other subject matter inextricably linked with facts, analysis and reasoned opinion. Providing quotations from public discussions is essential to that.

It is my contention that any comment that appears on any public forum on Newsvine is fair game and may be used responsibly in any future contributions I or anyone else makes to Newsvine. That said, if I use quotations, they will almost always appear in their entirety and will be used in the context in which they were stated.

Alterations in this policy
This is a living document, and will be altered and/or revised as new situations arise or existing guidelines prove impractical or incomplete. However, all changes to the document itself will be cited at the bottom of the article.

Disclaimer
The following disclaimer will appear as a comment near the top of my discussion threads. It may also be altered as necessary.

This discussion will be strictly moderated in accordance with the Newsvine Code of Honor, the Recommended Guidelines for Newsvine Members and my own Comment Deletion Policy. Your comments will be moderated according to these standards whether or not you've read them.

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