Community guidelines

The Outside View · Last updated: October 23, 2026

The Outside View is a place to discuss how the press covers the world. Disagree as hard as you like; do it with respect. These rules apply to comments, ratings, summaries, display names, profile pictures and circle messages.

What we expect

• Talk about the coverage. Say whether an article is fair, what it left out, what it taught you.
• Argue the point, not the person. Strong opinions on governments, policies and the press are welcome.
• Be honest about who you are. A pseudonym is fine; pretending to be someone else is not.
• Use the rating tools in good faith. One honest answer per article; do not rate in groups to push a score up or down.

Do not

• Harass or bully anyone, or keep contacting someone who asked you to stop.
• Spread hate: attacks on people because of origin, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or similar traits.
• Threaten or incite violence, or praise terrorism or violent extremism.
• Dox: publish someone's private information (address, phone, workplace, identity documents) without consent.
• Defame: state false and damaging facts about a real person or organisation as if they were true.
• Post sexual or graphic violent content, or anything that exploits minors.
• Share copyrighted article text. Give your view and link to the article; do not paste it. A short quote is fine. (Gift links offered by an outlet to its subscribers are fine.)
• Spam, advertise, run scams or impersonate others.
• Manipulate the service: fake accounts, coordinated rating campaigns, or attempts to get around a block or suspension.

Circles

Circles are private to their members, but the same rules apply inside them. Do not add people who do not want to be there, and do not share a circle's conversations outside it without the members' agreement.

Reporting and moderation

Every comment and every reader profile has a report link (circle messages are reported through the sender's profile). Reports go to the moderators, who read the item and can hide it at once. Repeated or serious breaches lead to a warning, a temporary suspension or the closing of the account (see the Terms of use). Reporting is not anonymous to the moderators, but the author never learns who reported. You can also block a reader in the mobile app so that you no longer see their messages. If you think we made a mistake, write to us and we will look again.

For anything urgent or not covered by the report link: contact@outsideview.news.