WBN Community Guidelines

• Challenging ideas with evidence, reasoning, and relevant experience
• Acknowledging valid points in perspectives you disagree with
• Asking clarifying questions before assuming the worst interpretation of someone's position
• Disagreeing with positions without attacking the person who holds them
• Being willing to change your position when presented with good reasons to do so
• Treating new participants with the same respect as established contributors

• Use language that demeans, mocks, or belittles other participants
• Make personal attacks on other community members rather than engaging with their arguments
• Use profanity or aggressive language in ways that are designed to intimidate or offend
• Dismiss or talk over contributors on the basis of who they are rather than what they have said
• Engage in bad-faith arguments designed to provoke rather than to discuss

• Grounded in substance. Arguments are supported by evidence, experience, or clearly stated reasoning — not assertion, rumour, or reputation.
• Focused on the issue. Debate engages with the substance of what others have said rather than diverting into unrelated grievances or personal history.
• Proportionate in tone. The strength of a position does not require the strength of the language used to express it. Moderate language and strong arguments are not in conflict.
• Open to revision. Participants in good-faith debate are genuinely open to having their view changed by new information or better arguments.
• Respectful of the audience. Debate on WBN platforms is read by a broad professional audience. Contributors represent themselves — and the credibility of their arguments — through the quality and conduct of their engagement.

WBN's editorial mission includes representing a genuine diversity of perspectives. That mission extends to our community. We do not impose ideological uniformity on our community spaces, and we do not moderate content simply because it expresses an unpopular or minority view. The standard for moderation is conduct — how something is said — not opinion — what view is being expressed.

WBN is committed to maintaining a community where every participant — regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, nationality, or professional background — can participate without encountering prejudice, discrimination, or abuse directed at who they are. This is not a statement of aspiration. It is a standard we enforce.

WBN does not permit content that promotes hatred, discrimination, or prejudice against any individual or group on the basis of a personal characteristic — including but not limited to race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin. This prohibition applies to direct statements, coded language, dehumanising comparisons, and content that has the effect of targeting individuals on the basis of who they are rather than engaging with their views.

The distinction between vigorous debate about contested ideas — which is permitted — and discriminatory content that targets people — which is not — is one that our moderation teams apply with care and consistency.

Harassment of any kind — sustained unwanted contact, targeted abuse, coordinated campaigns against an individual, public humiliation, or the sharing of private information with the intent to harm — is prohibited on WBN platforms. This applies equally to harassment of fellow community members, WBN staff and contributors, and external individuals who become subjects of community discussion. WBN takes reports of harassment seriously and acts on them.

• Opinion and analysis — including speculation, commentary, and contested interpretation — is permitted and welcomed as part of constructive debate. Opinions are not moderated on the basis of whether WBN agrees with them.
• Honest factual error — stating something false in good faith — is not a violation of these Guidelines. Where an error is significant, community members are encouraged to correct it constructively. Where WBN's moderation team identifies material factual errors in submitted content, we may flag them.
• Deliberate disinformation — knowingly submitting false factual claims with the intent to mislead readers or to manipulate community discourse — is prohibited. This includes fabricated quotes, false attributions, false statistical claims, and manipulated media.

WBN does not permit the use of its community platforms as a vehicle for coordinated disinformation campaigns — whether commercially, politically, or otherwise motivated. This includes the use of multiple accounts, AI-generated content, or external coordination to systematically flood community spaces with false or misleading content. Where we identify coordinated disinformation activity, we remove the content and restrict the accounts involved.

WBN's community members are expected to respect the intellectual property rights of others. Do not submit content that reproduces or distributes copyrighted material without appropriate authorisation — including articles, images, music, video, or other creative works owned by third parties. Where you quote or reference the work of others, do so briefly and with clear attribution. If you believe your intellectual property has been infringed by content on a WBN platform, contact us at legal@wbnn.news.

WBN community members must respect the privacy of other individuals. Do not share personal information about other people — including contact details, location information, financial details, health information, or any other private data — without their clear and informed consent. This prohibition applies equally to information about private individuals and to information about public figures in contexts that are genuinely private rather than publicly relevant.

Where community discussion involves individuals who have not chosen to participate in that discussion — including subjects of news coverage — participants are expected to engage with the public record and with relevant matters of public interest, rather than to dig into or share personal details that are not editorially relevant.

• Using AI tools to assist in drafting, editing, or summarising contributions — provided the contributor reviews the content, takes responsibility for its accuracy, and ensures it complies with these Guidelines.
• Using AI for research assistance — finding sources, summarising background information, or identifying relevant data — with appropriate verification before submission.
• Disclosing the use of AI in your contributions where it is material to how the content was produced. We welcome and encourage this transparency.

• Using AI to generate false, fabricated, or misleading content and submitting it as factual — this is disinformation regardless of the production method.
• Using AI to produce submissions at scale in a way that amounts to spam or coordinated manipulation of community discussions.
• Using AI to generate content that impersonates real individuals, fabricates quotes attributed to them, or creates false impressions about their views or conduct.
• Using AI-generated content to obscure the fact that a submission originates from an automated or commercially motivated source.

WBN uses a combination of automated tools and human moderation to review community content. Automated systems assist in identifying potential violations at scale. Human moderators review flagged content and make final decisions on action. We do not rely solely on automated systems for consequential moderation decisions — including content removal and account restriction — because context matters and automated systems cannot always provide it.

• Content editing or removal. Content that violates these Guidelines may be edited to remove the violating portion or removed entirely. Where content is removed, we aim to notify the contributor where practical.
• Content labelling. In some cases — particularly where content contains disputed factual claims rather than clear disinformation — we may add a contextual label to content rather than removing it.
• Withholding distribution. Content may remain accessible but have its distribution limited — for example, being excluded from featured or recommended content — where it does not meet our standards without constituting a clear violation warranting removal.

WBN applies its moderation standards consistently across all community participants, irrespective of the views expressed or the identity of the contributor. We do not apply different standards to different groups, and we do not protect any individual or organisation from moderation on the basis of their relationship with WBN.

Community members who wish to appeal a content removal, account restriction, or suspension may do so by contacting community@wbnn.news with the subject line "Moderation Appeal." Please include your account details, a description of the action you are appealing, and the reasons you believe the decision was made in error or should be reconsidered.

• Appeals are reviewed by a member of the moderation team who was not involved in the original decision.
• We aim to acknowledge all appeals within two business days and to provide a decision within seven business days where possible.
• We review the original decision against the specific standards in these Guidelines — not simply the original moderator's judgment.
• Where an appeal is upheld, the relevant content is reinstated and any account restrictions are removed. Where it is not, we explain why.
• Appeals in relation to permanent removal decisions are reviewed by senior moderation leadership. Decisions at this level are final.

Where WBN's platforms include in-platform reporting functionality — such as a report button on comments or submissions — please use that functionality in the first instance. For content or conduct that does not have an in-platform reporting option, or where in-platform reporting has not produced a response you consider adequate, you can contact our community team directly at community@wbnn.news.

When reporting, it helps us to respond effectively if you include a link to or description of the specific content in question, why you believe it violates these Guidelines, and any relevant context that may not be obvious from the content itself.

• All reports are reviewed by a human moderator. We do not rely solely on automated action in response to user reports.
• Reports are assessed against these Guidelines and a decision is made on whether action is warranted.
• Reporters are not notified of the specific action taken in response to their report, but we do act on credible reports of genuine violations.
• WBN does not penalise community members for making good-faith reports, even when we determine that no violation has occurred. False or malicious reports — submitted to target a specific community member rather than to address a genuine violation — are themselves a conduct issue and may result in action against the reporting account.

WBN treats the safety of its community members as a fundamental obligation. Where content or conduct poses a risk to the physical safety of an individual — including credible threats, content that enables violence, or material that could facilitate harm — we act immediately, without waiting for the graduated moderation process, and we cooperate with law enforcement authorities where required and appropriate.

Where community members are experiencing a personal safety concern connected to their participation in WBN's platforms — including persistent targeted harassment or threats — we encourage them to contact community@wbnn.news directly so that we can respond with the urgency the situation warrants.

Community dynamics, platform capabilities, and the ways people communicate are constantly evolving. These Guidelines will be reviewed and updated regularly to remain relevant, fair, and effective. Where updates materially change the expectations on community members, we will communicate those changes through our platforms before they take effect.

We genuinely welcome feedback from our community on how these Guidelines could be improved — where they are unclear, where they do not adequately address genuine issues, or where they impose unnecessary restrictions. Feedback on these Guidelines can be sent to community@wbnn.news. We read it, and we act on what we learn.

The WBN community is built by the people who participate in it. Every thoughtful comment, every constructive challenge, every piece of expertise shared, and every good-faith report of a genuine violation makes this a better place to engage with the ideas and events that matter. We appreciate your participation and your commitment to the standards that make it worthwhile.