DRAFT - Discussion Policy

Discussion Policy

Main Page Stories

The aim of the site is to enable free and open discussions on the topics published so that community members can express their personal views on the subject while allowing threads to develop into related ideas. This was the intention of the original site created in 2014 and it has remained so since that time. One of the many reasons for choosing to base the site in the USA is that US laws permit and encourage freedom of speech with few restrictions compared with other countries.

In order to qualify for a Tax Exempt Status (IRC Section 501(c)(3)) it is necessary to show a specific purpose which justifies such a status, and SoylentNews has stated that its primary focus is science, technology, engineering and mathematics which together are widely known as STEM. Nevertheless, the site editorial policy accepts a very wide interpretation of this description and frequently posts stories that are only loosely related to the stated range of topics. Often, they can be allocated to a standard topic description but sometimes they can be published under the 'Random' topic. All of the topics are open to site discussion. Additionally, all stories are categorized into sub-divisions, each of which is known as a nexus. This permits community members to filter out stories in which they have no specific interest.

Journals

The range of main page topics does restrict the discussion of matters that are outside the stated purpose of the site. This is resolved by allowing community members who have an active account to create 'journals' which may be on any topic whatsoever provided that they comply with the relevant US and State laws. SoylentNews accepts no responsibility for the content or views expressed in journals and this warning is clearly shown on each journal. The owner of a journal can limit those whom they wish to allow to comment. This is entirely at the owner's discretion and is not a matter in which the staff are involved, and nor should they be. Furthermore, the journal owner can also delete any or all journals that they own. Again, this is not a staff matter.

The content of journals is, therefore, solely the responsibility of the journal owner and, providing that they comply with US and State law, they are free to express any opinion, political view or extreme statement in their own journal.

If commenting is permitted in that journal then others can argue for or against such expressions as in any other discussion. However, those views should only be discussed in that journal. It is not appropriate to counter a view that someone has made in a journal by responding to it in a different discussion elsewhere on the site. That is, at best, off-topic and can endanger our tax status. Nor should anyone expect the staff to take any form of action against the journal owner. The journal has been published in compliance with the rules of the site and it is not a staff matter. It is an expression of free speech. Repeated attempts to raise a personal objection against the owner of a journal, or against the ideas, views or content expressed in a journal, outside that journal discussion may constitute an abuse of the site.

The only acceptable ways to counter a journal that you strongly disagree with is argue against the views by commenting inside that journal, or to moderate the comments in that journal if you are able to do so, or to create your own journal and present your counter arguments and views. Alternatively, you can simply stop reading that person's journals.