The Lee Dispatch
Comment Policy


Posting comments is a privilege we are pleased to offer our visitors. Please understand that the editor sets the bar high when it comes to online dialogue because it is our goal to create an environment for civil and productive community conversation.   All comments must be signed by the individual who writes them. 
Here is a list of the types of comments that are generally not approved by our moderators.

  •     Any generalizations about a specific group of people
  •     Comments that mask or attempt to mask inappropriate language and profanity or that are outright crude
  •     Name-calling. This includes commonly used words like loser, idiot, moron, jerk, or other demeaning terms.
  •     Personal attacks or attempts to ridicule other commenters.
  •     Comments that are potentially hurtful to crime and accident victims and their families
  •     Comments that make race or citizenship an issue, when neither is indicated or an issue in the story
  •     Degrading comments about someone who has died
  •     Assumptions of guilt or innocence in crime stories, or advocacy for punishment of the accused. Remember, a charge     is not a conviction and suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
  •     Comments that make assumptions about subjects in the story. Example: “He was probably drunk and on steroids.”
  •     Comments that are unrelated to the topic or the comments of others
  •     Comments that don’t focus on a topic, but another poster instead.
  •     Statistics that don’t reference a verifiable source.
  •     Comments that are repeatedly posted.
  •     Solicitations for a business or product.
  •     Comments that inquire about deleted posts, or posts that were not allowed

If you read a comment that you believe violates these guidelines, submit a comment and a decision will be made 

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies, and we will moderate accordingly.  If your comments are consistently not included and you’d like to find out why, we suggest re-reading the above list.