Click here for full Community Standards and Participation Guidelines
The moderation team
Q: Who moderates comments on this site?
A: The moderation team is responsible for moderation services on the Guardian website. There is a small pool of dedicated moderators employed by Guardian News & Media, rotating duties and coverage across all comments below the line (BTL).
Q: Do you employ moderators with a specific political or religious bias?
A: No. Moderators are not employed on the basis of any affiliation, and are required to enforce the community standards neutrally and consistently across the site, whatever their personal perspectives.
Although they sometimes need to make decisions which may be unpopular, their actions should not be interpreted as being revealing of pro- or anti- leanings apart from pro-[our community standards] and anti-[behaviour which goes against them].
Q: What hours do the moderators work?
A: We don’t publish specific hours of operation, but there is moderation coverage seven days a week. Obviously, some times are busier and some periods have more cover than others, so we ask community members to be understanding if we don’t always manage to deal with things straight away.
Q: Who moderates the moderators?
A: Our moderators are part of the Guardian digital team and report to the executive editor for supporters and reader relationships.
The community standards, which the moderators are responsible for applying, are set centrally, although the senior editorial team is consulted when revising them. Additionally, the moderation team regularly reviews activity on the site with relevant editorial departments, as well as updating them on any policy or approach changes.
While site editors don’t directly influence moderation policy or daily process, moderation decisions are sometimes taken after consulting with editors who have specialist knowledge about particular subject areas.
Incidentally, we ask staff members and contributors (e.g. freelance authors) to report potential problems in participation areas using exactly the same method as everyone else. If a staff member spots an issue, they report it in the normal way to bring it to the attention of a moderator, who will then make a decision based on the usual criteria. Writers don’t moderate their own content.
Q: I have a complaint about moderation, how do I escalate it?
A: If you have suggestions or questions about any aspect of moderation or comments on the Guardian website, you can write to moderation@theguardian.com
Editorial and community approach
Q: Why is it possible to comment on some articles but not others?
A: We welcome and encourage debate and interaction around content we publish, both on our site (via comments) and off it (via X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok). In general we want to open comments up on our material wherever possible, but time and attention is finite (particularly in moderation resource) and we’ve learned from experience that some subjects and types of article attract less constructive or engaging debate than others. With that in mind, we have devised some general operating guidelines for which articles we should prioritise commenting on.
Comments are more likely to be switched on for features, analysis and Opinion articles which are likely to engender interesting and thoughtful discussion or where user participation is part of the article.
Comments will generally not be open on content which is sensitive for legal reasons (e.g. where there’s a high risk of libel or contempt), or editorial reasons (could include: announcements of deaths, straight news, stories about particularly divisive or sensitive issues).
There are always exceptions to both these generalisations, of course!
In short, where comments are likely to add value (for us and other readers) in terms of additional insight, perspective or knowledge, and where we have time and resource to be involved in the conversation, we try to ensure commenting is turned on.
Q: Is there anything that I can’t say in my comments?
A: We ask everyone interacting on the Guardian website to abide by our community standards and participation guidelines. These set out clearly the main behavioural and social norms for the site, but in general we want this to continue to be a safe place for stimulating discussion about issues and we welcome community participation which supports and extends this. Please be careful about deciding to add personal information such as contact details to your comments: remember this is a public conversation.
Q: Will my comments be moderated?
A: All comments are subject to some level of moderation, in order to ensure the spirit of the community standards is upheld. In general, we post-moderate comments, which keeps the conversation lively. However, this unfortunately means we can’t guarantee all comments live on the site abide by the community standards. You can help the moderators get to inappropriate comments quickly by clicking on the “report abuse” link which appears next to each comment.
Q: Will authors reply to my comments?
A: We encourage writers to participate in the discussions sparked off by their articles, when feasible. Obviously, for various reasons, this isn’t always possible.
Q: What control do authors have on comments?
A: None. Authors can’t moderate comments on their own (or anyone else’s) articles. If an author wants a particular comment removed, they need to make a complaint via the report link and it will be assessed by the moderation team in due course and dealt with accordingly.
Q: Can I have multiple usernames?
A: No. Our terms of use clearly state that users should not create additional registration accounts for the purpose of abusing the functionality of the site, or other users, nor seek to pass themselves off as another user.
If you need to make a new account because you have lost access to your original one, please drop us an email at moderation@theguardian.com and we can authorise this.
Setting up and using multiple usernames to try to fool people or subvert the moderation of the site will lead to a user’s account being banned completely.
Our moderators do keep an eye out for multiple usernames and will ban them when they spot them.
Q: Who owns the copyright of comments I have posted?
A: This is covered in point (6) of the the Guardian website Terms and Conditions which states that by posting any text on the site you are agreeing to “grant us a non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide licence to republish any material you submit to us in any format, including without limitation print and electronic format”
Q: What is defined as off-topic?
A: Off-topic refers to contributions which are not related to the specific matter of the article above the line. Obviously, this is contextually-flexible; sometimes conversations are wide-ranging, and so more things can be perceived to be appropriate, topical and relevant. In other cases, off-topic relates to the general subject area of a particular series or section (e.g. the politics live blogs). While it’s always possible to introduce new topics into a conversation, they should at least bear some relevance to the primary discussion. Contributions will be perceived as off-topic if they veer substantively and wildly from the current conversation topic, either as an attempt to derail the conversation or as completely irrelevant. Off-topic also applies to queries or comments about moderation, which should not be posted as comments.
Moderation process & activity
Q: Why do you have moderation on this site?
A: As a large media organisation we have a responsibility to maintain the quality of content which appears on our site and so we employ community moderators to monitor and manage discussions.
The aim of moderation is to ensure that comments on theguardian.com remain appropriate, considerate, and lawful.
Q: Why don’t you allow discussion of moderation in comment threads?
A: No, because the conversation could be derailed into talking about moderation rather than the established or initial topic.
If you have suggestions or questions about any aspect of moderation and community participation on the Guardian website, you can write to moderation@theguardian.com
Q: Why was my comment removed?
A: Comments are removed by moderators if they go against the Community Standards & Participation Guidelines, which every participant on the site is bound by.
Q: Why don’t moderators just remove the bit of a comment which is objectionable, rather than deleting the whole thing? It seems a bit heavy handed!
A: It’s not possible for moderators (or anyone else) to edit comments. Participants should bear in mind that even if only one little bit (or line, or paragraph) of a comment is problematic, the whole comment will be removed.
Q: How would I know if a comment was removed?
A: When comments are removed by moderators, a marker is automatically left in the conversation thread to say that something has been removed.
Q: Why are comments being removed with no marker left in place?
A: When a comment or post is removed replies will automatically be removed with it. In such cases not every deletion will be marked individually, as this then clutters the comments.
If your comment has disappeared with no marker left, it’s generally because it was a response to an earlier comment that has been blocked.
Other exceptions to the marker rule occur when moderators remove duplicate posts and spam. Comments about moderation will usually be treated in this manner too, as they usually refer to moderation that’s taken place up thread.
Q: Why don’t you give a public reason for removing a comment? It would at least give a clue to why something had been deleted.
A: Unfortunately we don’t have the facility or resources to do this. In most cases, a comment author should be able to easily determine what the problem might have been by consulting the Community Standards.
Q: How do moderators decide what stays and what goes?
A: Moderators use the Community Standards as the basis for any moderation decision, combined with the context of the conversation and users’ comment history. In cases which are open to interpretation or aren’t clear-cut, we may err on the side of caution but we try not to be heavy-handed.
Naturally, with any human-powered system, mistakes can be made. Having a clear policy and regularly reviewing moderation processes helps to keep these to a minimum, but there will inevitably be some that slip through.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the same as differences of interpretation, which are an universal side-effect of any text-based communication, but something that everyone - moderators, authors and users - have to contend with. The vast majority of decisions made by the moderation team are sound and therefore we ask our community to support the authority of these decisions, even if you don’t necessarily agree with every single one of them.
Q: Do you pre or post-moderate comment threads?
A: We reactively or post-moderate nearly all comment threads, which means that comments generally appear on the site before they’ve been seen by the moderation team. This means that comments appear on the site which may later be removed.
Some topics or articles are considered sensitive or are prone to attract a higher than average number of comments which violate our community standards. Instead of preventing them from being commented on at all, comments may be opened in premoderation so that users can discuss freely, knowing that inappropriate comments will be moderated before they have a chance to go live on the site.
It’s important to bear in mind that the ability to post a comment doesn’t mean it’s automatically OK: we reserve the right to remove comments at any time which do not appear to be in the spirit of our community standards & participation guidelines.
Q: When I post a comment, it says that my comments are being premoderated – what does that mean? Does that apply to everyone in the conversation?
A: There is a further exception to the overall reactive-moderation approach adopted by the Guardian website: where there is a pattern of violating the community standards, a temporary filter can be applied to anything posted by a user, which means that their comments will need to be premoderated before appearing on the site.
This is a temporary measure applied by moderators to a small number of people based on patterns of actual behaviour, and should result relatively quickly in either their posting ability being suspended completely if no improvement is shown, or the filter being removed. The decision to do either of these things would, again, be based on that user’s behaviour and activity during the premoderation period.
Q: How do I know my account has been placed on premod or I’ve been banned?
A: If your account has been placed in premoderation, you will see a message in the comments box when you go to make a comment. Any comments you post won’t appear on the site immediately, but will be reviewed by a moderator first.
If your account has been banned from participating in comments, you will not be able to post a comment at all: the functionality is removed from the page altogether.
Q: I’ve spotted a bad comment. Why hasn’t it been removed?
Q: I’ve spotted a problem - how do I report something as abusive?
Q: How come [one comment] was removed, while [another one] is still on the site?
A: Our moderators work in two main ways: keeping an eye on conversations across the site in a general fashion and responding to abuse reports made by community members and other visitors to the site.
We’d like to do more of the former, but there are many active conversations taking place and needing to be monitored on the site. So unfortunately, we don’t see every problematic comment or abusive user straight away, and in some cases we might not spot such issues for a while.
Because of this, we also rely on our users to report abusive, offensive or otherwise inappropriate comments when they spot them, by clicking on the “report abuse” link which appears next to each comment. These abuse reports then go into a notification queue to be dealt with by the duty moderators.
Don’t rely on someone else to tell us about an issue if you spot one: it only takes a moment to send a report.
Q: If you click on ‘Report Abuse’ is the comment automatically deleted?
A: No. When you click on ‘Report Abuse” the comment goes into a report queue to be viewed by a duty moderator, who will then judge whether it contravenes the community standards.
We never remove a comment just because it’s been reported, even if it’s been reported dozens of times.
Q: It seems like you’re asking users to do your job for you by reporting problems. Why should we?
A: We believe that when all those involved in a community - hosts and members, creators and contributors - feel and take responsibility for maintaining an appropriate and stimulating environment, the debate itself is improved and all those involved benefit. We work hard to make and keep the environment constructive and convivial but we need your help to do so.
Q: Can you tell me why my comment was deleted?
Q: Can you tell me why another poster’s comment was deleted?
A: The answer is probably that something you posted was perceived to contravene the Community Standards, which govern the activity of everyone who contributes to this site. To query an action on your own comment you can email moderation@theguardian.com. For data protection reasons we cannot discuss the comments of any other users.
Q: Why do you close comment threads? Why not just leave them open?
A: Closing comment threads after they’ve been open for a while means that the conversations are kept relatively fresh and contemporaneous. It also makes it easier for our moderators to keep an eye on conversations, which means they’re in a better position to manage them.
Q: I’ve been banned from the site! Why?
Q: Why has [username] been banned?
A: We don’t like removing people’s ability to comment, but in cases where a pattern of behaviour consistently violates the community standards, certain users can be banned from using the site. For data protection reasons we cannot discuss the account/s of any other user/s.
Q: If I’ve been banned, can I come back if I agree to abide by the rules?
A: A user can be reinstated if the moderation team are confident that they understand the cause of their suspension, agree to abide by the site’s community standards, and will be able to contribute reasonably and sociably to the conversation in future. In such cases, it’s normal for the user to have a short trial period with limited functionality, before being returned to full user privileges.
Q: Why don’t you remove comments containing bad language?
A: We do remove some particularly strong uses of bad language, but on the whole we don’t remove comments purely on the basis of swearing where this is part of the cut and thrust of conversational debate. We will remove swearing when it is directed towards other community members or our staff or contributors in an abusive fashion, or if it is gratuitously offensive.
Q: How do I know if my comment is legally risky?
A: Legal issues that apply to editorial content on the Guardian website will also often apply to comments posted in discussions. These may include libel and defamation, privacy and breach of confidence, contempt of court and copyright violations, among other things. If you want to read up on media law, you might start here.
It is not safe to assume that you are avoiding legal risk because you are quoting material already published elsewhere, are only linking to problematic material rather than quoting it, or are hedging claims by saying ‘allegedly’. Remember to think carefully about how you present claims you make, and whether they are supported by reliable and reputable sources. Generally it is better to express things as your own personal opinion and avoid statements of fact. But please also bear in mind that moderators may have to take a precautionary approach to comments that appear risky: we can’t test every comment in a court of law.
Community functionality
Q: How do I add my own comments to an article?
A: At the bottom of most current pages on which commenting is enabled, there is a text-entry field above a button labelled “Post your comment”.
There is a limit to how much you can say, so choose your words carefully. Note: you will need to have javascript turned on in your browser to be able to sign in, post and read comments. Emojis are not supported.
Q: Can I edit my comments?
A:It’s not possible to edit comments left on other areas of the site, which is why we ask you to think carefully before you post.
Annoying as it may be to submit a carefully thought-out comment only to notice a glaring error moments later, the problems with allowing comments to be edited would greatly outweigh the benefits.
Q: What HTML can be used?
A: It is possible to use limited HTML within comment fields. At present, these are:
Link: <a href=”website address”>Link text</a>
Bold: <b></b>
Italic: <i></i>
Blockquote: <blockquote></blockquote>
In all these examples, text should be inserted between the tags. For example: <b>this</b> will produce this result on the page.
Formatting buttons are provided above the comment entry field to help.
Q: Why am I unable to post a comment?
A: You need to be registered and signed in to post comments. Sometimes you might be signed out automatically so this is good to double check. To register you also need to validate your email address by clicking a link in the confirmation email. You can see more help on registering and signing in here.
You also need to have a username in order to comment. The username will show up when you make a post and helps readers and moderators follow the discussion more easily. You can set your username by clicking here or going to Profile in your My Account section. For more help on your username and profile please see these FAQs.
We also close comment threads automatically after a particular period (this time limit is dependent on a variety of factors: some conversations go on longer than others).
If the comment thread is still open, you are signed in and have a username set but still cannot post, you may have been barred from participating because of acting against the community standards.
When the moderation team notice an unusually large number of abuse reports being submitted they will occasionally suspend your ability to report and comment temporarily. If your suspension lasts longer than 1 hour and you believe you have been incorrectly suspended, please contact the moderation team at moderation@theguardian.com. Consistent misuse of the report function may lead to your account being sanctioned or even banned.
Q: What is a user profile?
A: A user profile is an aggregated view of all the comments left by an individual community member on the Guardian website. You will not have a user profile page if you have not left a comment. If you are under 16, we recommend that you do not add personal data
Q: Can I make my comment history private?
A: Since all the comments in your comment history were posted in public (on the Guardian website), they are also public when they appear in the aggregated view on your profile page.
Your comments stand as a public record of your participation on the site: think Hansard, for commenters.
Q: Is it possible to send a message privately to another user?
A: We don’t allow posters to contact each other directly (and we will never pass on your email address or other details to a third party.)
Q: What does the “recommend” link do?
A: If you think a comment is particularly worthy of merit or attention, using the “recommend” link will add a vote to it. The number of current recommendations any comment has attracted is displayed alongside.
Q: Can I recommend my own content?
A: You cannot recommend your own comments. In addition you must be logged in to recommend a comment.
Q: What does the “link” link do?
A: Each comment has a permanent link, which means it can be referred to directly (rather than saying “it’s on this page and then about halfway down...”). If you right-click that link, you can copy the address to your clipboard, which can be helpful if you want to refer to it in your own comment.
Q: What does the “share” link do?
A: “Share” allows you to send content objects - comments, stories, galleries and so on - to friends, or to a social bookmarking and recommendation application.
Q: How do I upload an avatar picture
A: Click on your username in any conversation you’ve participated in, or on the “your profile” link at the top of every page on the Guardian website. On the left hand side of the page, underneath your name, there should be a square avatar picture (it may be the default grey one) followed by a link which says “Edit my profile”. When you click on this link, you’ll be able to select from a range of colourful avatar designs, or upload your own: just follow the instructions on the page. Don’t forget to save your profile afterwards.
Q: When will my new avatar show up?
A: We expect that in the period immediately following the launch, there’ll be a lot of images coming in, so it may take a while to work through the pending image queue. Please bear with us - it shouldn’t be a long wait.
Q: What happens if my new avatar is rejected?
A: If an image fails pre-moderation, your avatar will be reset to the default (grey) image. You can always try using a different image.
Q: Can I use an animated gif?
A: No. They’re too distracting on the page.
Q: How do I complain about someone else’s avatar?
A: If you see an avatar which you think infringes copyright or is otherwise unsuitable, but which may have slipped through, you can alert the moderation team by clicking the “report abuse” link on each user’s profile (which you can get to by clicking on their username link). Just tell us what you think the problem is (the more specific the better) and we’ll take a look.
