Social Media Community Guidelines

The Express News Group utilizes several social media channels to help spread the news and keep the community informed. We also want followers and users to know these channels are where the news continues through conversation, comments and sharing.

As a news publication, the First Amendment is important to us and we want to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard. We will do our best to facilitate the conversation by listening to your feedback, answering your questions and being as transparent as we can about sharing news as it occurs. It is also important to remember that our goal as a news publication is to remain as objective as we can on political matters. If it is opinions you are looking for, please take the time to review our “Opinions” section of the 27east.com website or print versions of the paper.

If you choose to post on any of our social media channels, or comment on any of our posts, you agree to follow these community guidelines. Also remember that the comments and responses you see on the social channels that are not posted by us are from the public – these comments do not always reflect our views.

The ability to keep the discussion rolling on news is important, and it is our goal to keep it going. To do so, we ask you to please review and follow the following community guidelines:

1. Keep the news going but be respectful and keep on topic.
   1. Everyone has an opinion. Someone may like your opinion or think you are wrong, and visa versa.  The important thing is to show respect for one another.
      1. Give feedback and share your feedback in a respectable way.
      2. Please refrain from profanity and harassment and stay on topic.
      3. Solicitation and promotion of any third-party products is strictly prohibited. If you would like to purchase an advertisement for our site or newspaper, please give us a call at 555-555-5555.
   2. If we feel a post is abusive, displays harassment or goes against these guidelines, we reserve the right to remove the post. If the behavior continues, we will block the user from commenting or posting.
2. Legal stuff…we hate to have to do this, but it is important.
   1. Certain topics are not permitted to be discussed on our social media channels because of our position as a news organization. Please refrain from posting comments that contain:
      1. Unsubstantiated claims – if you cannot prove it, do not post it.
      2. Copyright-protected material like music, videos, art, photos, or trademarked logos unless you have permission from the owners of the property.
      3. Livestreamed or recorded performances.
      4. Names of individuals or information that could lead to the identification of a person – things like an address, insurance policy number, phone number, license plate number, hometown or school, unless permission was given by the individual to share the information.
      5. False information or propaganda that can be misconstrued as real and factual.
      6. Medical advice
      7. Threats
      8. Links to other websites
      9. Advertising and spam
      10. Software viruses
   2. If you post, you agree to all these guidelines. If your post does not comply, we will remove it from the social media channel.
3. Moderating comments and responses.
   1. We will try to stay on top of the social media channels by responding quickly and removing comments that go against our guidelines. We are not here to remove opinions that users may or may not like. Unless it goes against our guidelines, the comment may continue to appear in the social media feed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I report an abusive response?
Comments can be marked or flagged using the social media channel. Once marked, the moderator will be notified.

Do I have to subscribe to comment?
Depending on the social media channel, you may have to subscribe to the service to comment. Some channels also require you to be a follower of the Express News Group content to be able to comment.

Will I be able to edit my comment after it posts?
No. If you want a comment removed, please reach out to the moderator.

I used to be able to comment on your posts on Facebook but cannot anymore. Why?
There is a chance that a comment you posted was removed, or that you were banned. Please reach out to the moderator to find out. Our moderators do not bite and will be more than happy to help.

What if I am being harassed in the social media channels by an individual or group of individuals?
Reach out to our moderator. If the harassment goes against our guidelines, the moderator will act.

There are several comments that are discriminatory toward our president. I find this to be abusive and harassing. Why are these still appearing on the social media channels?
We believe in the first amendment and will do everything in our power to allow people to express their views and opinions in a respectable way. While you may not agree with their stance regarding the president or any other political figure, we are open to opinions either for or against these politicians.

I want to promote an event that has to do with a news story you posted. Is this allowed?
No. Please reach out to our sales team or digital editor to find out how to promote events. It may be possible to share the event via the community calendar on our website, for free. Reach out to us to find out how.

I clicked on a link in a post and now have a virus on my computer. What are you going to do to fix it?
Unfortunately we do not work in tech support, so you may have to contact your computer manufacturer for help. But we will gladly look at the comment and link to find out what happened. Our guidelines prohibit the posting of links, so rest assured, our moderator will swiftly remove the post, so others do not fall into your situation.

I have reported a comment or user for violating the community guidelines. Now what?
We will review the content in question. Our moderators reserve the right to remove content and users for any reason. If the content does not break our rules, please refrain from reporting it.

I saw an accident happen on County Road 39 and want to report it on your Facebook page. What should I do?
We welcome your posts, so please share it. Our moderators review all posts before they go onto the social channels, so if the matter is urgent, please feel free to call us at 555-555-5555.