It's in the debate around the news where progress is made, so we encourage you to join the conversation through our comments section.
All comments are moderated before publication, and due to the volume of comments posted daily, we're unable to enter into discussion about why a specific comment was not published. Once a comment is published, we reserve the right not to remove it.
To maximise your chances of publication, and aid a constructive debate, please keep the following in mind when crafting your contribution.
1. Be respectful of each other
- We value passionate debate, but comments that can be reasonably considered insulting, offensive, threatening or obscene will not be published.
- Material that may incite violence or hatred will not be published.
- Comments that we believe may be defamatory or breach copyright will not be published.
- Respect each other's time, and keep your comments relevant to the discussion at hand.
- Comments that advertise, promote or solicit any goods and service will be not published.
- Limit the use of links in comments. Comments containing links to unsuitable material or videos of any kind will not be published.
- Never impersonate someone else, or post personal details (such as phone numbers, email or postal addresses) that could inadvertently put someone in danger.
2. Criticise ideas, not people
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- Focus your comments on the idea being expressed, not the person expressing them. We give some leeway for criticism of politicians, given the nature of their work.
- Comments that gratuitously abuse individuals - be they other commenters, writers, or subjects of articles - rather than make a substantive contribution to the debate, will not be published.
3. No offensive language
- We'll always consider the context, but as a general rule, comments including swear words and other offensive language (including leetspeak) will not be published.
- Please don't SHOUT (or post in all capital letters) either.
If you see a comment that doesn't meet these guidelines, hit the "flag" icon and it will be reviewed again by our moderators.