Community Guidelines

We value thoughtful, constructive discussion.Comments that attack an author or smear an organization are not acceptable. 

Contributions that offer information or clarifications on breaking news stories are also valued.

Complaints about our content or coverage should be sent to america@aljazeera.net

The following are general guidelines that influence whether or not a comment will be accepted:

1. Personal attacks on authors, other users or any individual are not tolerated. Users who repeatedly post such comments may be banned.

2. Comments featuring swearing, name-calling or otherwise abusive language are unacceptable.

3. We value robust debate and understand that people often feel strongly about the topics debated on the site but please show respect for the views and beliefs of other users. By being polite and civil, you ensure that the topic remains the focus of the debate and that our pages remain conducive to intelligent discussion.

4. Keep your posts relevant. If you post a comment that is not related to the topic being discussed, it may be deleted. Comments about moderation decisions or general comments about Al Jazeera will likely also be deleted.

5. Comments that are racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise offensive will not be tolerated. There is a difference between criticizing a government, organization or belief and attacking people because of their race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

6. Comments that incite criminal activity are not acceptable. 

7. Comments should be in English

8. Keep your comments coherent. If the moderator cannot understand your comment because of poor spelling, grammar or logic, it will be deleted.

9. Do not post content that you have copied from someone else and for which you do not have the copyright.

10. DO NOT SHOUT. Writing in caps is considered shouting in web etiquette. 

11. No spamming or flooding. Do not repost the same message, or very similar messages, more than once.

12. No advertising or promotion of products or services, or posting of web links (URLs).

13. No impersonation. Impersonating anyone (including other members) is unacceptable.

14. No inappropriate user names.

15. No personal information. It is not acceptable to publicize yours or anyone else's contact details, including address, place of employment, telephone number, email address, etc. 

16. We will not accept defamatory comments capable of damaging the reputation of an organization or individual.

17. Spelling and grammar will not be corrected when comments are posted on blogs. However, we reserve the right to correct spelling and grammar when publishing comments elsewhere on our site.

18. Because of the volume of comments received, we cannot review individual moderation decisions or alter comments once they have been published.

Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You assign us with a license to use, reuse, delete or publish any comments without notice.

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