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.
Community guidelines
We encourage comments that:
- Promote civil and constructive dialogue.
- Respect other community members and show empathy.
- Find common ground with other community members.
- Are considerate of minors and victims of crime and tragedy.
- Foster a sense of community.
We will not permit:
- Hostile, insensitive or sweeping characterizations based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, political affiliation, ability or mental illness.
- Harassment or threats.
- Obscenity, vulgarity and profanity (including creative swearing or expletives with letters followed by dashes or other symbols).
- Creative spelling designed to hide word usage.
- Insensitivity to tragedy and death.
- Personal attacks.
- Demeaning, sarcastic or overly snarky language toward other community members, including name-calling.
- Plagiarism.
- Unconfirmed claims, unfair speculation or rumors.
- Commercial or employment promotion, solicitation or requests for donations.
- Links to outside sources.
- Complaints about the moderation process.
- Note: We’re happy to answer any questions about the moderation process at comments@deseretnews.com. Our moderation process is explained in detail in this Q&A about the Deseret News comment boards.
Other considerations
- Sports: We realize that banter is part of the game. Just don’t get personal.
- Political figures: Criticism of elected officials is part of democracy. Find a way to disagree without being disagreeable.
- Public figures and celebrities: People in the spotlight are subject to more scrutiny than private citizens.
- High school athletes: We will be more strict about comments and criticism involving minors.
- Deseret News staff: We welcome genuine criticism and feedback. Criticize the reporting, not the reporter.
We have implemented a new warning and suspension system to ensure our community guidelines are upheld:
- Warnings: Readers who do not follow our commenting guidelines will receive three warnings.
- Suspension: After three warnings, a user’s account will be suspended for 24 hours.
- Bans: Three suspensions will result in a permanent ban.
Questions
The Deseret News will exercise sole discretion on whether a comment violates our code of conduct. 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.
If you have a question, you may want to start by reading our Q&A.
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.
Last revised: April 25, 2025