1 – Be clear and to the point. Comments may be edited for clarity or excessive length. If we feel we have to edit your comment for clarity (or typos), we endeavour to not misrepresent you. If you think we have made a mistake, contact us. And if you have a lot to say, consider submitting a comment piece.
2 – Keep it relevant. We know that some conversations can be wide-ranging, but if you post something which is unrelated to the original topic it may be removed in order to keep the thread on track. Before posting a comment, read the article.
This also applies to queries or comments about moderation, which should not be posted as comments (please email [email protected]).
3 – Respect religious laws and regulations. While religion is often a hot topic, Islam and its tenets are protected from defamation under the Constitution and religious unity regulations. We kindly request all commenters to bear this in mind.
While comments deemed to be anti-Islamic are often hard to define, Minivan News will err on the side of caution in order to protect itself and its writers.
4- No trolls. Defined as those who post deliberately offensive or inflammatory comments in order to provoke irrelevant arguments, Minivan News operates a strict no troll policy. Please consider whether your comment constitutes trolling before submitting.
5- Do not misrepresent us. While welcoming constructive criticism our articles, we will not publish persistent misrepresentation of Minivan News or its writers. For the sake of robust debate, we will distinguish between constructive, focused argument and lazy smear tactics.
6- Don’t be offensive. Offensive comments and other forms of hate-speech or incitements to violence will not be tolerated. We recognise the difference between criticising a particular government, organisation, community or belief and attacking people on the basis of their race, religion, or gender.
It is your right to hold opinions others may deem offensive. It is our right not to publish them.
7- Do not post libellous or slanderous comments. Libellous or slanderous comments made against individuals – public figures or otherwise – are unacceptable and put us in legal jeopardy.
Even supposedly widely-known incidents can be considered libellous if they have not been proven in a court of law, and so cannot be published.
8- No spam. We will remove any posts that are obviously commercial or otherwise spam-like. This may also apply to people or organisations who frequently post propaganda or external links without adding substantively to the quality of the discussion.
Comments reflect the opinions of our readers, not our writers. Published comments in no way represent the editorial values of Minivan News or the Maldives Independent, beyond being subject to these guidelines.
It must be remembered that the above guidelines are non-exhaustive and moderation is not an exact science. If you do not like a posted comment, write a reply. If you do not like our moderation policy, send us an email.
Please do not read too much into any opinions expressed in our comment section. Judge Minivan News and its journalists on the content of our articles and not the comments beneath.
We hope our comments section can be a forum for all shades of opinion in the Maldives in which opposing arguments can be aired without debate descending into slander, defamation, and abuse.
Thank you
