Comments can be made on The Utah Bee's Facebook page, where articles also are posted. We do comments there, so that someone (with a profile and social-media reputation) will own each comment. Anonymity on comment boards leads to more yuck than enlightenment.
At The Utah Bee, if you say it, you own it.
Another reason we place commentary on the Bee's Facebook page is so we can block bad actors. We don't have time for nasty personalities or people who can't follow a straight-forward conversation; and we assume our community members don't either. We treat the comment board like a cocktail party. If someone is thoughtful, respectful, and hopefully even funny, we'll hang out; on controversial issues, bring it hard and crisp, but in a civil way. If someone can't do that, we will block.
We are trying to build a community that elevates dialogue and action in Utah. If we blocked you on The Bee's Facebook page, it's nothing personal. There was no formal process. We just don't think you fit our community. There are plenty of other venues with base comment boards. The Utah Bee chooses not to add to those ranks.
In commentary, please clarify, expand, share, praise, question, challenge, contradict, correct, etc. Please do not insult, go off-topic, strain an artery, spit, swear, or poke in the eye. Civility works.

What's Not Allowed On The Utah Bee

We have listed each rule with examples of what is allowed and what is not allowed.

Hate Speech is not allowed on the Utah Bee

Name calling of any kind is prohibited. Speech that belittles a person based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability. Threats and calls to commit violence are not acceptable. Following someone on the Utah Bee and serially targeting their comments will not be tolerated.
Allowed: “I don’t think that’s right.”
Not Allowed: “I don’t think that’s right, you stupid $#!*. I’m coming to your house—you better watch out!”

Alarming Identifiers

Screen names, bios, images, and avatars that are racist, abusive, sexually explicit, demeaning, inflammatory or hateful are not allowed.
Anonymous comments are not accepted.Allowed: “SenatorSteveU”
Not Allowed: “SenatorSteveUistheworst” (even if you believe he is the worst)

Sexual Comments Out of Context

Sexually explicit images or phrases are not acceptable when off topic.
Allowed: [Responding to a thread about sex ed:] “Teaching condom use is a must!”
Not Allowed: [Responding to a thread about UDOT Funding:] “Teaching condom use is a must!”

Privacy Breach

Sharing someone’s personal information, phone numbers, address, credit card numbers, in an attempt to threaten is not allowed. Any phishing is prohibited.
Allowed: Calling someone by name.
Not Allowed: “Senator SteveU lives at 862 W 1100 S in St George. Let’s egg his home!”

Spam

Comments that promote MLM, spam, or commercial pitches are not allowed.
Allowed: [In a conversation about legalizing marijuana] “I have found lavender oil to soften my migraines, weed doesn’t work for me.”
Not Allowed: “I sell essential oils for SmithandFriends and you can be a part of my downline! Ask me how!”

What Happens if the Guidelines are Violated

The Utah Bee will remove any comments that violate the community guidelines. We will attempt to contact the person who posted the comment in order to give them a chance to fix the problem or to defend their statement. We reserve the right to make the final decision on comments we feel violate the guidelines. If someone is a repeat offender we may block their participation on the Utah Bee.We will attempt to be consistent as we enforce these rules. We want to be open about the guidelines. If you have questions about the guidelines or ideas on how to improve them, please reach out to us. We reserve the right to enforce these rules at our discretion.