{"id":98174,"date":"2026-08-11T11:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T08:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/?page_id=98174"},"modified":"2026-08-11T11:18:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T08:18:52","slug":"ugc-comment-moderation-policy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This policy explains how Defender Media handles user-generated content, eyewitness material, reader comments and other content submitted by people outside our editorial team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Scope<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This policy applies to content submitted by people who are not Defender Media staff or regular editorial contributors, including reader comments, eyewitness material, photographs, videos and other user-generated content (UGC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Verification and labelling of UGC<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">User-generated content, including photos, videos, eyewitness accounts and other material submitted by users or obtained from social media, is subject to verification before publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on the circumstances, the verification process may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>confirming the identity and reliability of the source;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>verifying the time and location of the reported event;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>checking the authenticity and original source of photos and videos;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>cross-checking information against other reliable sources and available open-source information;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>assessing content for potential manipulation or misleading context; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>considering relevant legal, ethical and safety implications before publication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where the verification process cannot establish the accuracy or authenticity of UGC to a reasonable degree, the content will not be presented as verified fact. Where appropriate, we clearly indicate uncertainty or the unverified nature of the content to our audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UGC is clearly labelled to distinguish it from original Defender Media reporting. Where appropriate and safe to do so, we identify the source of the material. Labels may include, for example, \u201cEyewitness photo\u201d or \u201cProvided by reader\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Comment Standards<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defender Media welcomes constructive discussion and comments that contribute to informed debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comments must comply with applicable laws and these Editorial Guidelines. We do not permit comments that contain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>defamatory or knowingly false allegations;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>hate speech or content targeting individuals or groups with abuse or discrimination;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>threats or harassment;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>invasions of privacy or disclosure of personal information without consent;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>content that violates the legal rights of others;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>spam, advertising or repeated promotional content;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>obscene or excessively abusive content; or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>content that is clearly unrelated to the discussion or intended to disrupt it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Comment Moderation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defender Media uses <strong>post-publication moderation<\/strong> of comments, where comment functionality is available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We may remove comments that violate this policy. In exceptional circumstances, comments may be removed before publication where there is a clear legal, safety or other serious concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moderation decisions may take into account the context, severity and potential impact of the content. We do not remove comments simply because they express criticism of Defender Media, our journalists or the subjects we cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Reporting and Appeals<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Readers can report comments that they believe violate these rules or contact Defender Media with concerns about a moderation decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We review such requests and may remove, retain or restore content depending on the circumstances. Where a moderation decision was made in error, we may restore the affected content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Editorial Responsibility<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">User-generated content and comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Defender Media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defender Media retains editorial responsibility for content that it publishes and may moderate, edit, label or remove externally submitted content where appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This policy forms part of Defender Media&#8217;s Editorial Guidelines and applies alongside our other <a href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/editor_policy\/\">editorial policies and standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rules for handling reader comments, eyewitness material and other user-generated content<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-98174","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy - Defender Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy - Defender Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defender Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DefenderMediaUA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-11T08:18:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@DefenderMediaUA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\\\/\",\"name\":\"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy - Defender Media\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-11T08:13:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-11T08:18:52+00:00\",\"description\":\"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"DEFENDER\",\"description\":\"Defence Tech\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Defender Media\",\"alternateName\":\"Defender Media\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/cropped-ico.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/cropped-ico.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Defender Media\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedefender.media\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/DefenderMediaUA\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/DefenderMediaUA\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/defender-media\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/t.me\\\/DefenderMedia\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy - Defender Media","description":"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy - Defender Media","og_description":"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy","og_url":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/","og_site_name":"Defender Media","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DefenderMediaUA","article_modified_time":"2026-08-11T08:18:52+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@DefenderMediaUA","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/","url":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/","name":"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy - Defender Media","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-08-11T08:13:24+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-11T08:18:52+00:00","description":"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/ugc-comment-moderation-policy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"User-Generated Content &amp; Comment Moderation Policy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/","name":"DEFENDER","description":"Defence Tech","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/#organization","name":"Defender Media","alternateName":"Defender Media","url":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cropped-ico.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cropped-ico.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Defender Media"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DefenderMediaUA","https:\/\/x.com\/DefenderMediaUA","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/defender-media\/","https:\/\/t.me\/DefenderMedia\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98174"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98181,"href":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98174\/revisions\/98181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedefender.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}