Cayman News Service comment policy

The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the views of CNS or any individual staff member. All comments are posted subject to approval by CNS. We never censor based on political or ideological point of view, but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete those comments that:

• contain any material which violates or infringes the rights of any person, is defamatory or harassing or include ad hominem attacks.
• a reasonable person would consider abusive, profane or offensive.
• contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law
• promote hate of any kind.
• refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty.
• contain links to "chain letters”, pornographic or obscene movies or graphic images
• are excessively long and off-message.

We may delete those comments that:

• are essentially unsubstantiated rumour. “I have documents that prove that….”, “I was witness to….”, “I know this for a fact…..”, and especially "I heard it on the marl road...." are not necessarily sufficient “proof” for CNS. However, this is up to the discretion of the moderator.
• are annoying to read. Please avoid hitting that caps lock button or highlighting parts of the comment in bold.
• have too many links. Including one or two links is OK, but our comment section is for readers’ opinions, not to highlight news and views from around the web.
• have descended into bickering between commenters (which generally makes tedious reading).

Please also note: If we receive a comment that indicates an intent to commit an act of violence or any other criminal act, or incites others to do so, we may contact and fully cooperate with law-enforcement agencies.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I posted a comment. Why can't I see it on the site?

A: Because we have a very small staff at CNS, we sometimes only have time to moderate comments a couple of times through the day. (During and after Hurricane Paloma, this was much more infrequent). Please be patient – we do try to post the comments regularly.

Q: I am sure my comment did not break any CNS comment policy rules. Why wasn’t it posted?

A: Look though the above list again. It may be that with a slight change and resubmission CNS will post the comment. Alternatively, you can email your comment to comments@caymannewsservice.com and we will reconsider posting or explain why it was not posted.

Q: I’ve noticed a comment that I think the moderator should have deleted. Why was it posted?

A: There is sometimes a fine line between free speech and hate speech and on occasion this can be a difficult call. Generally, if there is any doubt, especially if there is any possibility that the comment is defamatory, the moderator will delete it. However, if you think we have made the wrong decision and you find a comment offensive, please email comments@caymannewsservice.com and we will consider deleting it or explain why it was allowed.

Q: Why do you allow people to post anonymously?

A: Unfortunately, many people in the Cayman Islands, both expatriate and Caymanian, feel that using their real names might jeopardize their livelihoods. In addition, in a small community like ours, many are reluctant to put their names to comments that might create ill will, and we feel that people should have the opportunity to voice their concerns and opinions without fear of retribution. On the other hand, a comment that is made by someone who has the courage to put their name to it has much greater impact and we encourage those who really care about the Cayman Islands to stand up for what they believe in. However, we do not allow commenters to use this website merely to insult others under the cover of anonymity - though we perhaps give more wriggle room if they are critising politicians or political parties or if the comment is funny (our call).

Q: Why am I blocked from commenting on CNS?

A: If a commenter has previously posted comments that are excessively abusive, off-topic, offensive, or include ad hominem attacks, a CNS moderator may decide to ban the commenter's IP address. This means the abusive commenter is banned from commenting on the site in the future, even if the later comments are not abusive. We ban IPs because it is too time consuming to individually delete comments written by someone with a pattern of abuse. If a commenter shares a computer or IP address with someone who has written abusive comments, it could result in a comment being blocked even if the commenter has never posted anything abusive. If you think this might apply to you, email comments@caymannewsservice.com

Also see Moderating the comments