Comment Policy

KOBI5.com comment boards are a forum for thoughtful commentary and civil dialogue intended to enlighten your fellow readers with additional insight or counterpoints.

We encourage your thoughtful comments which:

  • Have a positive and constructive tone
  • Are on topic, clear and to-the-point
  • Are respectful toward others and their opinions

Some users submit comments that make a valid argument or statement but violate one or more of our guidelines, and their comments could be rejected or removed. To avoid this, please carefully read and follow the guidelines below:

  1. No personal attacks, snarky comments (excessive criticism or sarcasm) or comments meant to solely provoke — meaning comments that are both personal and antagonistic toward individuals and/or groups. Do not call another commenter a derogatory name, tell someone to “get a life,” mock someone, or express a desire to hurt a suspect, accuse someone of crimes they have not been convicted of or are under investigation for (drug use, illegal immigration, etc.). Personal attacks against KOBI personnel — including comment moderators — will not be tolerated.
  2. No obscenity, vulgarity, profanity, or implied profanity, acronyms that are shorthand for profanities, name-calling, epithets or racial slurs. Occasionally a user will attempt to use symbol swearing (using #*$) in place of profanity. The best comments make an articulate point without using intended or implied crude language.
  3. No ALL CAPS shouting or over-use of punctuation.
  4. Overly speculative comments or comments containing information not included in the story are generally rejected, especially in cases of crime or tragedy. If you have information that you feel is critical to a story, please contact the reporter assigned to the story or submit a news tip here.
  5. Be sensitive in comments about the death or injury of private individuals, especially stories that involve children.
  6. Off topic comments will be rejected. Comments need to tie directly to the attached article. This is especially true on sensitive topics. Complaining about comment policies and moderation of comments is considered off topic and will result in your comment being removed. Comments and questions regarding comment board procedures can be e-mailed to [email protected].
  7. Links to outside URLs are discouraged. Comments with email addresses, links to personal blogs, websites or Facebook accounts are also discouraged and will generally be rejected. KOBI5.com does not endorse the content of external web sites and has no liability as to their content in any event. We reserve the right to remove any external link.
  8. We want to hear YOUR opinion. Your posting must be created and owned by you. If you copy and paste from another source, please give the proper attribution. Posting of copyrighted material is not permitted. If the majority of your post is simply copy and pasting content from someone else, it will generally be rejected.
  9. No commercial promotion or solicitation.
  10. Please do not submit charity donation information (as in the case of individual tragedies). Those who would like to request charitable donation information to be posted to the news article can do so by submitting a news tip here.

If you see an objectionable comment, please click the down-arrow button to the right of each comment posted on the site and select either “Flag Comment” or “Report to Facebook”. If you would like immediate action, contact us at [email protected].


ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What kind of comments are posted?

We are looking for intelligent on-topic comments that add value and insight to a story. We hold those who submit comments to the similar standards you’ve come to expect from a news organization — where we accept a wide variety of points of view that add value to a reader’s experience. These comment boards are offered as a public forum for a wide audience and should not be confused with a message board or instant messenger service.

What name is displayed with my comment?

Each comment will display your Facebook profile photo, First and Last name (as specified on your Facebook page) and possibly your current work information (based on your privacy settings). We have no control over this information and how it is displayed. To learn more about your Facebook privacy settings, go here.

Can I edit my comment?

Yes, you have all of the options you do on Facebook.com regarding posting, editing and deleting your comment(s).

Ok, I met all of the above guidelines and my comment still didn’t get approved! What gives?

Our moderators work hard to ensure a civil atmosphere and increase the quality of dialogue. However, because we are human, moderating decisions are subjective and occasionally we make mistakes accepting or rejecting comments. Unfortunately, we are not able to restore rejected comments or respond to requests asking for explanations as to why a comment was rejected.

Haven’t you ever heard of freedom of speech? That’s censorship!

Commenting on KOBI5.com is a privilege, not a right. If you continually abuse that privilege, you may have your account suspended or banned. But we want your comments and added insight, so keep it civil and we can continue a long and meaningful online relationship.

What if I spot an error in a story?

Comments regarding story errors — whether grammatical, typographical or factual — should be sent to the reporter who submitted the story (email link to reporter is near their bio at the bottom of the story) or by e-mailing us at [email protected]. The moderation staff has no control over editorial content.


If you have a question or comment about this policy, please contact us at [email protected].

KOBI5.com reserves the right to reject or remove comments that do not conform to these criteria or for any other reason.

By submitting a comment on the KOBI5.com comment board, you are agreeing to the KOBI5.com terms of use, the KOBI5.com comment board rules and guidelines and the Facebook.com terms of service.

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