At ecoRI News, we believe that a healthy environment includes a healthy community dialogue. We welcome diverse perspectives on environmental, climate and social justice issues in southern New England. To ensure our comment sections remain a space for productive, civil, and informed discussion, we enforce the following guidelines.

1. Our values

• Respect: Treat fellow readers, sources, and staff with dignity.
• Accuracy: We value evidence-based discussion. While we welcome debate, we do not permit the spread of demonstrably false information.
• Inclusivity: We strive to be a voice for all communities. Attacks based on identity have no place here.

2. Prohibited content

To maintain the quality of our community space, we will remove comments that contain:

• Personal attacks and harassment: Insults, threats, or “doxing” (sharing private information) directed at our journalists, sources, or other commenters.
• Hate speech: Content that promotes violence or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age.
• Misinformation: Repeatedly sharing debunked claims or conspiracy theories that undermine public understanding of science, environmental policy, or local events.
• Spam and self-promotion: Commercial advertisements, repetitive “copy-paste” messages, or links to unrelated websites.
• Profanity and explicit content: While we don’t mind the occasional strong word for emphasis, gratuitous vulgarity or NSFW (not safe for work) content will be removed.
• Off-topic rambling: Discussion should stay relevant to the article’s subject matter.

3. Moderation approach

We use a pre-moderation system. This means comments are subject to review before being approved and posted.

• Reporting: If you see a comment that violates these rules, please use the “Report” flag or email us at [email protected].
• Removal: We reserve the right to remove any comment that violates this policy without prior notice.
• Banning: Repeat offenders or those who engage in egregious “trolling” will be permanently blocked from commenting.

A note on transparency: ecoRI News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We do not advocate for political candidates. Similarly, we ask that our comment section remains a forum for issues and ideas rather than partisan campaigning.

4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why was my comment removed? Usually, it’s because it crossed the line from “critique” into “personal attack” or was entirely off topic.

Can I criticize ecoRI News? Yes. We welcome constructive criticism regarding our reporting. We only ask that it stays focused on the work and remains civil.

Does ecoRI News edit comments? No. We do not edit comments for grammar or content. We either keep them or remove them entirely.