Thank you for your interest in the Deseret News online community. This is a forum for thoughtful commentary and civil dialogue intended to enlighten other readers with additional insights or counterpoints.
Many of you have asked about our community guidelines and moderation process. We hope to answer some of those frequently asked questions below.
How (and why) are comments moderated?
We moderate comments to promote meaningful dialogue between people who want to disagree without being disagreeable. Orderly societies have laws. Safe roads have rules. Civil comment boards have moderators.
Here’s our process:
- The foundation of our moderation process is civility, as expressed in our community guidelines. We do not moderate based on any political, social or institutional ideology.
- We use a combination of artificial intelligence toxicity filters and human moderators to make decisions.
- All comments first go through a toxicity filter. In most cases, comments that meet the standards for tone and civility are posted automatically.
- A team of moderators reviews many of the comments, paying special attention to those flagged by the system or other users for potential violations of our community guidelines.
- Stories about subjects that are divisive, sensitive or that have a history of uncivil discussion are sometimes set to premoderation. This means the comments are not posted until they clear the toxicity filter and are reviewed by a moderator.
- New members of the community will have their first two comments reviewed by a moderator before posting.
Why does it take so long for some comments to be approved?
Comments on stories set to premoderation will take longer to be approved. Also, a comment could be held if it includes a suspect word and needs further review from a moderator.
Comments that are posted during off-hours and require moderation may be delayed.
And finally, the moderation process can take time. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
Will the Deseret News publish or share the list of banned or suspect words so I know what words to avoid using?
We’re often asked if we can provide a list of “banned” words. It’s not something we would publish — nor would you really want to see such a list of vile words and expressions. Some of the words on our “suspect” list could, in certain contexts, be objectionable or offensive. In these cases, the comments are automatically flagged and must be reviewed by a moderator before being posted.
Why are you censoring me?
Although it’s unpleasant to have a comment rejected, comment moderation is not censorship. As a privately owned enterprise, we reserve the right to reject and delete comments that violate our community guidelines and to turn off comments on certain stories. We value highly the First Amendment, from which we derive freedom of the press, and we also value your contributions that abide by our community guidelines.
Moderation, by its nature, is subjective. Reasonable people can differ on whether or not a comment violates our community guidelines. Please keep in mind that our moderators are human. Treat them with respect.
How long do I have to comment on a story?
In general, comments close three days after a story’s publication. We reserve the right to close comments early on a story due to excessive violations of our community guidelines.
What are featured comments?
Consider this a reward for a thoughtful, civil opinion expressed in a constructive way. We strive to feature comments from differing points of view and political perspectives.
A commenter is bothering me. Can I mute them?
Sometimes other commenters might not be violating our community guidelines, but you have no interest in seeing their comments. That’s your prerogative. There is a way for you to block comments from certain commenters from your view. Here’s how to do it:
- Click on their username.
- Select “Ignore User.”
Can I report a comment that I think is out of bounds?
If you see something that you believe violates our community guidelines and/or could be libelous, please report the comment. Here’s how:
- Click the button that says “Report” in the bottom right-hand corner of the comment.
- Follow the prompts to report the comment or the user.
Why was I suspended?
Just like in any sport, there are rules to the game. We have no interest in silencing anyone or banning someone from commenting. However, we have a responsibility to our readers to take action if someone is repeatedly violating our community guidelines.
Our warning and suspension parameters are detailed in our community guidelines.
I still have questions. Who can I ask?
The Deseret News will exercise sole discretion on whether a comment violates our community guidelines. While we’re happy to respond to sincere (and civil) questions about our policies, we may be unable to answer specific questions about why a particular comment was rejected.
We are interested in your suggestions for improving our comment section experience.
If your question wasn’t addressed or you want to share feedback, you can reach us by email at comments@deseretnews.com.