OTW News Post Moderation Policy

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2024-05-26 15:13:27 UTC

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Bullhorn and the words 'OTW Announcement'

With approximately 7 million registered users on AO3 and thousands of OTW members, news posts get more engagement than ever. We love when users express their thoughts or concerns regarding the news we publish! However, the comment sections on some of our previous news posts have not been a welcoming or safe space for engagement.

In recent months, we have developed a News Post Moderation policy and recruited a team of volunteers who you may see commenting on posts in the future. We would like to announce the key points of the policies our News Post Moderators will be following when monitoring the comment sections of our News Posts.

Comments on news posts may be frozen or hidden by a News Post Moderator if they contain:

Spam or unsolicited advertising
Content about topics outside of fans, fandom, and Internet policy, and which would not fall under the purview of the OTW
Misinformation (particularly about the OTW) with the potential to harm or mislead others
Explicit/graphic sexual or violent language
Attempts to draw negative attention to a specific individual or fanwork
Insults and personal attacks towards other users
Inflammatory or speculative language that may result in harassment
Violations of the site's Terms of Service

Please note that the above is not an exhaustive list of all comments that may be actioned.

In addition, any comments on AO3 News Posts that violate the Terms of Service may be reported to the Policy & Abuse committee.

OTW volunteers will respond to comments using an Official OTW committee account to clarify points of confusion or engage with user feedback. Comments from Official accounts will be clearly marked on AO3 with a bolded (Official) after the username, and on the OTW website with a signature identifying the relevant OTW committee or team. For example, comments from News Post Moderators will use the "OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official)" account on AO3. On the OTW website, they'll be signed with their name followed by "OTW News Post Moderator".

If an OTW volunteer comments on a news post using a personal account, that volunteer is not acting in an official capacity. Such comments do not necessarily reflect the views of the OTW, nor do they constitute OTW policy.

We hope that our users will welcome this policy announcement and find that it improves their experience on the AO3 and OTW websites.

UPDATE: Due to a high number of off topic comments, comment moderation has been turned on. All comments now must be approved by a moderator before becoming visible. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the News Post Moderation team directly using our contact form on the OTW website.

The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

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QuinLova Sun 26 May 2024 03:25PM UTC

Hell. Yes. Thank you guys for this.

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gravityboysshieldgang Sun 26 May 2024 03:27PM UTC

“Misinformation (particularly about the OTW) with the potential to harm or mislead others.” I’m sure this will not be taken advantage of, and is not an attempt by the OTW to safe face from criticism and stop introspection into the harassment and bullying culture that is internal volunteer politics. What a shame, AO3 and the OTW was once a safe space.
Inb4 “this comment has been hidden by an admin.” You can hide your evils as much as you want on your news posts, but you cannot police the entire internet. Free Palestine.

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1. sknkodiak Sun 26 May 2024 04:25PM UTC
  
  There's a time and a place. This isn't either.
  
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2. sknkodiak Sun 26 May 2024 04:27PM UTC
  
  There's a time and a place. As you say, the entire internet. This is a site for fandoms and fandom associated creativity, not political commentary.
  
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3. 1. gravityboysshieldgang Sun 26 May 2024 04:56PM UTC
    
    If only you knew how bad things were.
    
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  2. 1. sknkodiak Sun 26 May 2024 08:24PM UTC
      
      I do. All I am saying is, is this the appropriate venue to be discussing it?
      
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  3. OfMonstersAndWerewolves Sun 26 May 2024 07:51PM UTC
    
    Whilst I get what you're trying to say, it's also basically impossible to separate fandom from politics. As one example, it's important to recognise that if the actions of the OTW alienates vast swathes of people, such as Palestinian fans, from uploading fanworks to the site, that's something that should be addressed. Posting in the comments section of an OTW News post, whether you agree with doing so or not, is a visible platform where visitors and volunteers alike can see it.
    
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4. Gameline Mon 27 May 2024 02:07AM UTC
  
  What does palestine have to do with this?
  
  I get free palestine, free ukraine, free that, free this, but this isn't the place for political comments
  
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5. 1. mess_your_pretty_hair Mon 27 May 2024 04:22AM UTC
    
    IIRC, there was a recent controversy about OTW's internal dynamics. Allegedly there was/is a double standard where pro-Palestine sentiment was/is deemed inappropriate for the workspace, while other political opinions were treated as fine.
    
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  2. 1. Gameline Mon 27 May 2024 05:02AM UTC
      
      That affects me and the site how exactly?
      Am I supposed to go in front of the OTW office and start screaming and egging their building??
      Sorry, but I've got fanfics to write. A lot of fanfics to write, and wayyy too little care or time to allocate to random a$$ drama that does not affect me in any way whatsoever
      
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    2. 1. gravityboysshieldgang Mon 27 May 2024 06:14AM UTC
        
        If you don't care, then why the FUCK are you whining in my comments?
        
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      2. Gameline Mon 27 May 2024 06:57AM UTC
        
        To say how much I don't care
        
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Diamond_Raven Sun 26 May 2024 04:25PM UTC

Thank you so much for this! I know it must have been difficult to create this policy because AO3 has always championed letting users engage with fandom in the ways they prefer, but the lines between hobby/RL have been blurred so badly by some users that it makes many online spaces toxic and stressful. I do wish you had implemented this policy much earlier but I'm sure you had hoped that things would sort themselves out and you wouldn't have to step in like this. It's unfortunate that all signs point towards this new approach to internet behavior/usage being the norm but I'm glad you've finally put your foot down to keep this archive the wonderful place it's always been. Thank you!!

Last Edited Sun 26 May 2024 04:26PM UTC

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thelisteners Sun 26 May 2024 04:27PM UTC

I'm glad and I hope this cuts down on off-topic spam/mud-flinging.

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Topaz_Eyes Sun 26 May 2024 05:13PM UTC

I am cautiously optimistic and pleased that you have now developed and implemented an official news post moderation policy. We have needed one for a long time and I'm glad you have codified it.
However, this point concerns me: Misinformation (particularly about the OTW) with the potential to harm or mislead others
I need assurances from AO3/OTW that the org will not use "misinformation" as an excuse to shut down valid criticism and discussion about its procedures and policies. Also I need assurances that AO3/OTW will not use "misinformation" as a means to silence volunteers who point out real issues behind the scenes of AO3/OTW's operations. AO3/OTW unfortunately has developed a reputation for being less than transparent in the past. Misinformation arises because people and organizations are not upfront and transparent about what's going on. If misinformation does arise, I hope and expect that AO3/OTW will take steps to address it immediately in an open, fair, and forthright manner.

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1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 06:18PM UTC
  
  Hi Topaz_Eyes,
  We have no intention of shutting down valid criticism and discussion about procedures and policies (so long as those discussions stay civil and on-topic — if things get heated and people start insulting others, we will take action on the thread).
  We'd always prefer to provide correct information when commenters make statements about the OTW or AO3 that are incorrect. Part of the role of the news post moderation team will be in providing responses to users for general questions and concerns. Concerns that are specific to a particular committee (for example, a question about Legal's opinion on a proposed new bill) will still be addressed by that specific committee, but our team will be giving them a heads up when there's something that needs a reply.
  However, it's not always possible for the OTW to provide public corrections about events. AO3 has strict confidentiality policies regarding private user information. For example, if a user is upset about a ruling by the Policy & Abuse committee, and they post incorrect information about the matter in a public comment, then PAC can't comment on it and neither can we. Doing so would violate our confidentiality policies. Similarly, the OTW will not make public comments about a disciplinary matter involving specific volunteers. In such cases, we believe the individuals' right to privacy overrides the right of the public to receive information about the matter, and we may remove such comments.
  We hope this addresses your concerns, and thanks for your support!
  Best,
  TMN
  OTW News Post Moderator
  
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2. 1. Eli0t Sun 26 May 2024 06:36PM UTC
    
    However, it's not always possible for the OTW to provide public corrections about events. AO3 has strict confidentiality policies regarding private user information. For example, if a user is upset about a ruling by the Policy & Abuse committee, and they post incorrect information about the matter in a public comment, then PAC can't comment on it and neither can we. Doing so would violate our confidentiality policies. Similarly, the OTW will not make public comments about a disciplinary matter involving specific volunteers. In such cases, we believe the individuals' right to privacy overrides the right of the public to receive information about the matter, and we may remove such comments.
    
    I think this is the part I am annoyed about the most. I just don't see why people can't comment on things just because the OTW can't respond publicly.
    
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  2. 1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 07:11PM UTC
      
      Hi Eli0t,
      People are of course still able to comment on the situation elsewhere, such as on Tumblr or other social media sites. However, when such comments are made directly on the OTW website, and the OTW does not address them (while perhaps at the same time responding to comments that are about public matters), this gives the impression that the information in the comment is correct or endorsed. We don’t want to appear to endorse incorrect information, so in such cases we will remove it.
      Best,
      TMN
      OTW News Post Moderator
      
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    2. 1. Eli0t Sun 26 May 2024 07:17PM UTC
        
        Except you absolutely can address those comments by stating that it breaks your confidentiality policy to address the things being posted about. Which would remove that issue or implying the information is correct or endorsed. The policy that you are stating comes across as trying to sweep problems under the rug/silence people/ignore problems.
        
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      2. DistantManiacalLaughter Thu 30 May 2024 03:30AM UTC
        
        Hey, uh, this guy makes a good point? Please respond because now I’m worried haha
        
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        OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Thu 30 May 2024 03:52AM UTC
        
        Hi Eli0t and DistantManiacalLaughter,
        In some cases it may be possible to do that, in which case we would not need to remove the comment. However, in other cases leaving the comment up and not specifically refuting it may result in harm to other parties. For example, if there is information in a comment that could lead to commenters harassing uninvolved individuals (who may otherwise be perceived as involved) on other sites outside of our control, then we will hide the comment.
        This point in our moderation policy is intended to prevent the harassment of specific individuals, including users and current and former volunteers. If people would like to generally criticize OTW policies, then they are allowed to do so in on-topic posts.
        Best,
        TMN
        OTW News Post Moderator
        
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  3. Topaz_Eyes Sun 26 May 2024 08:28PM UTC
    
    Thanks for your reply.
    AO3 has strict confidentiality policies regarding private user information. For example, if a user is upset about a ruling by the Policy & Abuse committee, and they post incorrect information about the matter in a public comment, then PAC can't comment on it and neither can we.
    What will happen when a user posts accurate information about the matter in a public comment? Would AO3/OTW remove accurate comments too? People who posted about issues in public news posts in the past, did so to draw necessary public attention to frankly serious operational problems. They went public, not because they wanted to, but because a) trying to solve those issues behind the scenes *wasn't working*, and b) volunteers and others were being actively harmed in the process. Bullying and harassment are issues that should never be swept under the rug. Past actions by AO3/OTW have created a trust issue for some users; transparency is always the best option.
    
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  4. 1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 08:47PM UTC
      
      Hi Topaz_Eyes,
      If there's not misinformation, then it wouldn't be subject to removal due to this rule. Unless it was breaking one of the other rules, it would stay visible.
      Best,
      TMN
      OTW News Post Moderator
      
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    2. 1. gravityboysshieldgang Mon 27 May 2024 06:16AM UTC
        
        And who, exactly, controls what is or isnt misinformation? What group of volunteers will handle this? What steps will be taken to ensure censorship will not be a problem?
        
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      2. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Mon 27 May 2024 06:00PM UTC
        
        Hello gravityboysshieldgang,
        Determinations of what constitutes harmful misinformation that violates our guidelines, as with any determination of that a comment violate our guidelines, will be made by the News Post Moderation team.
        As we explained in our reply to azarias further down, our processes are set up to maximize transparency and decisions about what has been actioned can be seen by a variety of people.
        Additionally, if you are unhappy with a previous moderation action, you can contact Communications who will forward the email to News Post moderators for investigation. Moderators uninvolved with the original moderation action will review the comment(s), take any appropriate actions and then reply to you with their decision.
        Best,
        Safa
        OTW News Post Moderator
        
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Eli0t Sun 26 May 2024 05:29PM UTC

This news moderation team, are they a new standalone committee, a subcommittee of another committee like Policy & Abuse or comms, or is it a group of volunteers from different committees that form a task force?

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1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 06:21PM UTC
  
  Hey Eli0t,
  The News Post Moderation team is a new permanent subcommittee under Communications made up of moderators and liaisons from other committees. Moderators are not experts on every News Post topic so working with liaisons is important to make sure that users who post questions or concerns can receive helpful, accurate answers.
  Thanks for asking!
  Marty
  OTW News Post Moderator
  
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2. 1. Eli0t Sun 26 May 2024 06:33PM UTC
    
    Thanks for the answer.
    Follow up questions about this:
    If a news post is like mostly about 1 committee's work and people ask questions about that work, will that committee still be responding or will it all be channeled through this new subcommitee? (ie. If, on the posts about OTW finances being disclosed, someone asks for clarification about one of the line items, does the finance committee still respond or does this new subcommittee's liaison with the finance committee respond?)
    And second question, since its a subcommittee that has liaisons with other committees, if those liaisons are responding to questions related to their liaison committee, will they be modifying the signature to denote that at all? (ie. If, in the previous example, the finance committee liaison did respond to a question about OTW finances, would the sign off stay as just "OTW News Post Moderator" or would be be altered to either their main committee or something like "OTW News Post Finance Committee Liaison", etc)
    
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  2. 1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 07:06PM UTC
      
      Hello again Eli0t!
      In general, if a News Post is mostly about one committee’s work (e.g. an Open Doors Import Announcement), that committee will still be monitoring and responding themselves (in this example that would be an Open Doors Volunteer using the Open Doors account). News Post Moderators will work with that committee and offer any help and support they need, but the main source of informative replies will still be that committee. On posts like that, Moderators’ main focus is responding to questions that are off topic or outside the main committee’s knowledge or taking action on things that violate our Moderation Policy.
      In the event we are responding on another committees behalf, such as to an off topic question or if it’s a post that doesn’t belong to a specific committee (e.g. Monthly Newsletters), we will include a note about who we spoke to to get an answer for you, something like "We reached out to the Finance committee and they said X."
      When one of our liaisons is responding to a question about their committee, they will use their own committee’s account and signature to do so.
      Hope that answers your questions!
      Marty
      OTW News Post Moderator
      
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    2. 1. Eli0t Sun 26 May 2024 07:13PM UTC
        
        Alright cool thanks
        
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sircopepod Sun 26 May 2024 05:46PM UTC

Although this is great and all, I think this sounds a little like a way to get out of things if used wrong, especially "Inflammatory or speculative language that may result in harassment" and "Misinformation (particularly about the OTW) with the potential to harm or mislead others." These both sound kind of concerning, and we need confirmation that there will be no misuse of them. "speculative language" and "misinformation with the potential to harm" could include things that the OTW simply doesn't want to deal with despite needing to. There should be some sort of way that you guys could moderate what is considered "misinformation." I am afraid that criticism will go down the drain labeled as speculative language or misinformation.

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1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 06:34PM UTC
  
  Hi bookwhizz,
  As said in our earlier reply to Topaz_Eyes, we have no intention of shutting down valid criticism and discussion about procedures and policies (so long as those discussions stay civil and on-topic — if things get heated and people start insulting others, we will take action on the thread). "Inflammatory or speculative language that may result in harassment" would cover things such as speculating about someone else’s personal life or their opinions about a topic they haven’t commented on. We’ve seen this come up several times when situations begin getting heated, and that type of speculation never leads anywhere constructive.
  We'd always prefer to provide correct information when commenters make statements about the OTW or AO3 that are incorrect. Part of the role of the news post moderation team will be in providing responses to users for general questions and concerns. Concerns that are specific to a particular committee (for example, a question about Legal's opinion on a proposed new bill) will still be addressed by that specific committee, but our team will be giving them a heads up when there's something that needs a reply.
  However, it's not always possible for the OTW to provide public corrections about events. AO3 has strict confidentiality policies regarding private user information. For example, if a user is upset about a ruling by the Policy & Abuse committee, and they post incorrect information about the matter in a public comment, then PAC can't comment on it and neither can we. Doing so would violate our confidentiality policies. Similarly, the OTW will not make public comments about a disciplinary matter involving specific volunteers. In such cases, we believe the individuals' right to privacy overrides the right of the public to receive information about the matter, and we may remove such comments.
  We hope this addresses your concerns, and thanks for your support!
  Best,
  TMN
  OTW News Post Moderator
  
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2. 1. azarias Sun 26 May 2024 07:12PM UTC
    
    Similarly, the OTW will not make public comments about a disciplinary matter involving specific volunteers. In such cases, we believe the individuals' right to privacy overrides the right of the public to receive information about the matter, and we may remove such comments.
    May an individual volunteer waive such privacy and allow discussion?
    
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  2. 1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 09:05PM UTC
      
      Hi Azarias,
      In many of these cases, the people involved on the OTW side are bound by confidentiality policies that they’ve signed, which it may not be possible for a user or volunteer to waive for their specific case. If you have questions about a specific case or policy relevant to yourself, please contact the OTW Board and/or Legal committee.
      Best,
      TMN
      OTW News Post Moderator
      
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    2. 1. azarias Sun 26 May 2024 09:30PM UTC
        
        Hi TMN,
        Thank you for answering, however I think it's pretty clear we aren't speaking about hypotheticals here. Last year, volunteers including myself and Kutti went public about some very bad treatment from the OTW, and part of that discussion was held in the AO3 newspost comments because attempts to handle problems privately within the OTW failed. I am concerned that this new policy will be used to stiffle such discussions in the future, which would endanger rather than protect volunteers.
        I very strongly support the creation of a mod team and a mod policy for newsposts. Your team's been needed for a very long time. I also know that the OTW is creating a whistleblower policy and volunteer code of conduct which will hopefully prevent repeats of last year's issues. However, the OTW is starting from a position of low trust due to past bad behavior, hence the pushback you're getting to an otherwise reasonable policy. What safeguards will be put in place to prevent criticism of the OTW from being shut down?
        (Personally, I would recommend countering misinformation by simply providing correct information -- the OTW has a history of stonewalling outsiders. I understand that's easier said than done, though.)
        Thanks again.
        
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      2. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 10:23PM UTC
        
        Hi Azarias,
        As said above to Topaz_Eyes, if there's not misinformation, then it won't be subject to removal due to this rule. If you want to post verbatim copies of communications you've received from the OTW, then doing so is allowed under this rule. It is highly unlikely to receive a public response from the OTW due to the various privacy policies we have, but your comment would not be hidden (unless it violates a different rule).
        Where we would consider it misinformation is if someone began posting factually untrue information, such posting as making false statements about content in emails from the OTW, or if they began erroneously assigning blame to specific individuals (particularly unrelated third parties) in a way that could incite harassment against that person.
        The news post moderation team is structured in a way to promote transparency. Copies of all comments are sent to multiple parties, so they are more available for later review than was previously the case. Comment moderation decisions are all visible to the core news post moderation team and committee liaisons, who form a broad cross-sectional sample of the OTW with volunteers who are not only from many different committees, but are also of a variety of seniority within the OTW itself. Due to the way we expect liaison work to occur — with liaisons joining and leaving as necessary to cover posts for their committees — the decisions made by the team will be open to a broad amount of scrutiny from a changing set of volunteers within the OTW.
        We're aware that a lack of transparency by the OTW has indeed been a problem and has lost us trust from many users. We're committed to earning it back. Both transparency and privacy are important to us. The balance between the two can be a difficult tightrope to walk, and it's likely there will still be times when users are unhappy with our decisions, but we're committed to maintaining both.
        Best,
        TMN
        OTW News Post Moderator
        
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EveningMoth Sun 26 May 2024 05:55PM UTC

This seems odd. I am awaiting to see what the response from the team will be.
As this is going to end in a very biased way. It always does.
(Good luck to all and everyone. This sounds like madness. I hope there’s an update about this topic in the future. Because it seems there are more questions than there was prior. This is a lovely idea though, maybe should have been thought out more before applying it. Like making a new recipe on a holiday without knowing how it’ll come out— kind of situation I’m seeing unfold.)

Last Edited Tue 28 May 2024 01:02AM UTC

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tinystreetlamp Sun 26 May 2024 06:44PM UTC

Is there a possibility to leave kudos on the news posts?

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1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 07:30PM UTC
  
  Hi tinystreetlamp,
  It's not possible yet, but our coders do have plans to implement it, so hopefully someday!
  Best,
  TMN
  OTW News Post Moderator
  
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NeaPoulain Sun 26 May 2024 06:47PM UTC

"Misinformation (particularly about the OTW) with the potential to harm or mislead others", if you don't define publicly clearly what would be considered misinformation about the OTW, this will be taken advantage of. Maybe not now and with this administration, but there will come others and this policy must be blinded againts any internal medling.
The rest is all fine (altough it'd be good for you to remember that fandom is political, we wouldn't have racism problems if it was something outside of fandom), but that will be taken advantage of if not everyone is on the same page.

Last Edited Sun 26 May 2024 06:47PM UTC

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1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 08:35PM UTC
  
  Hello NeaPoulain,
  We appreciate your concerns; the line about addressing misinformation is one we discussed a lot internally while this policy was being formed because, as you say, there is a potential for it to be taken advantage of.
  Ultimately, we decided to leave it as a part of the policy because preventing the spread of harmful misinformation is important to us. Our intent is to only use it when failure to invoke it could result in harming of irrelevant parties. For example, incorrect information in comment section that could lead to commenters harassing uninvolved individuals (who may otherwise be perceived as involved) on other sites outside of our control.
  Best,
  Marty
  OTW News Post Moderator
  
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2. 1. NeaPoulain Sun 26 May 2024 09:56PM UTC
    
    Thanks for replying.
    It does not alleviate my concern in any way, seeing as there's no public record of how it's going to be handled or any reassurance the moderation team is going to be held accountable as the starting position of the OTW in this is a long lost trust and the organisation's needs to understand the trust needs to be recovered.
    
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  2. 1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Sun 26 May 2024 11:08PM UTC
      
      Hello again NeaPoulain,
      We discussed some of the details of how moderators will be held accountable in our reply to azarias above. And as we said there, we're aware that a lack of transparency by the OTW has indeed been a problem and has lost us trust from many users. We're committed to earning it back.
      The only way we can build back that trust is by continually acting in a way that is fair and abides by what we've said. This post is part of our commitment to transparency: providing users with the guidelines that we work under and responding up front to questions and concerns about our work. However, we're aware that it will be a long journey uphill from here.
      Best,
      Marty
      OTW News Post Moderator
      
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EchoEkhi Sun 26 May 2024 06:53PM UTC

Huh I thought you would have held back the announcement until the admin post comment moderation update goes online, is there a particular reason for jumping the gun?
Also, do you have special provisions for elections-related news posts and comments? Obviously it would be democratically problematic if your policies were to result in the removal of criticisms against a candidate.

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1. pineapple_belongs_on_pizza (21lik) Mon 27 May 2024 07:49PM UTC
  
  Well, this depends on what the "criticisms against a candidate" entail. If one has genuine disagreement with a candidate, that person should be able to respectfully voice them - but if it leads to harassment and cancellation, that's definitely a problem. If I recall correctly, AO3 users were ranting on Reddit because one of the 2023 candidates supported the GOP, and while AO3 released a post condemning the harassment, the candidate later dropped out. (From what I saw on the internet, lots of harassment was at play - people even tried to get her fired from her real-life job.)
  Of course, sometimes the line between genuine criticism and harassment can be blurry. Ceteris paribus, I am certainly more likely to defend a post I agree with than a post I disagree with, and I imagine it would be the same for everyone else here. There's a reason politicians tend to be associated with lying and dirty tactics - those who run clean campaigns tend to lose to those who don't. But, while I certainly don't agree with AO3 with everything, I don't think "criticisms against a candidate" should be left unchecked, especially if they lead to people actively ruining that candidate's real life. (Moreover, I would disagree with the notion that democracy is an absolute good - and not just because I also disagree with much of the vocal fanbase here.)
  
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2. 1. EchoEkhi Wed 29 May 2024 05:04PM UTC
    
    Yeah the events of the past 2 elections were really deplorable, but I don't think removal of misinformation is the solution here, instead the elections committee should focus on the timely delivery of accurate information. Audrey R only got a vaguely-worded news post, and Tiffany G didn't get anything at all. My guess is that they were trying to not interfere too much to preserve the integrity of the election, but I'd argue that by not protecting the candidates in the election process, they're doing much more damage in the long term by losing out on potential candidates.
    
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3. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Mon 27 May 2024 08:44PM UTC
  
  Hi EchoEkhi,
  Discussions about a News Post Moderation policy and a team to enforce it have been ongoing since late 2023. As part of those discussions, we discussed the tools already available for comment moderation as well as new things that could be beneficial in the future to make the workload more manageable. The Jira issue for News Post Moderation came as part of those discussions but is not required for us to do our job and is ultimately unrelated to the subcommittee’s setup.
  As we said in our reply to Eli0t, specific committees are still ultimately in charge of watching over and responding to comments on News Posts that are ‘owned’ by their committee. News Post Moderators will help with addressing comments that violate our News Post Moderation Policy as well as off topic questions.
  Posts related to the election and discussions about candidates will be moderated following the Election Committee’s moderation guidelines, and stay consistent with the moderation practices for posts on Elections’ website. The Elections Committee has confirmed that they allow comments that are critical of candidates, the Elections Committee and/or the wider OTW, to ensure the fairness and integrity of the election processes, provided those comments do not break Elections rules, or OTW policies.
  Thanks for your questions,
  Safa
  OTW News Post Moderator
  
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cac0daemonia Sun 26 May 2024 07:21PM UTC

Good call. Thank you!

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LordiTheRailgun Sun 26 May 2024 08:14PM UTC

Jesus, 7 million users, huh? That's more people than there are in my country lol. Damn.
Anyway I'm curious to see how this will go into effect. Hope it'll calm the waters a bit if anything.

Last Edited Mon 27 May 2024 05:41AM UTC

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MillieMonster Sun 26 May 2024 08:58PM UTC

I never post in news but thought I’d leave a comment to say that this is probably a good idea, to balance out the criticisms you receive. There are a few posts from folks who forget this is an organisation run by humans, for humans, and we all support fandom (though what that looks like might be different for each of us). I choose to believe you’re acting in good faith and don’t believe responding from a place of cynicism is actually going to help much at all.
For other readers who might see my comment: OTW (and AO3) has a difficult job of trying to serve a GLOBAL audience of wildly different politics, cultures, philosophies, and norms. We’re not even united by being fans “of something” - most of us are probably in fandoms that never interact with each other and are for all intents and purposes little countries of their own with their own micro-politics going on. AO3/OTW will (and do) get things wrong occasionally, because no-one is perfect, no organisation is perfect, and it is simply impossible for them to meet all our requests. But they’re not out to destroy anything and they are us. Let’s see if the new policy works. And if it doesn’t, we can critically engage with it and try and build something else. The news comments field has been a mess for a while, so clearly we needed to do something about it.

Last Edited Sun 26 May 2024 09:00PM UTC

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1. qpuddle Mon 27 May 2024 04:48AM UTC
  
  Absolutely agreed!!
  
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2. UltraTwo Mon 27 May 2024 05:27AM UTC
  
  Yes! This!
  I was hoping that AO3/OTW would implement a policy like this (Especially when you put spam and harassment into consideration). I'll wait and see if this works out in everyone's favor.
  EDIT: I also agree that AO3 isn't the place for politics. If you want to include politics in your fanfic, that's totally fine. But if you're going to comment on a news post chanting a political phrase or a literal call for genocide, that's where the line needs to be drawn. However, at the same time, I also agree that AO3/OTW needs to be transparent about what defines as misinformation. Without a clear definition, there is going to be a problem.
  For now, I'm cautiously optimistic about this. We'll just have to wait and see if AO3/OTW can make this work.
  
  Last Edited Wed 29 May 2024 07:41PM UTC
  
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3. ninryu Tue 28 May 2024 07:48PM UTC
  
  Wish I could kudo your commment.
  
  Last Edited Tue 28 May 2024 07:51PM UTC
  
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4. ForTheLoveOfAll Sun 02 Jun 2024 01:07AM UTC
  
  This is too true. It feels a bit like the discussions back when tumblr decided to implement content rules. In the end, this is a volunteer-run organisation that lets us use this resource for free. It's absolutely ridiculous to try to turn the internal news section of a friggin fanfiction website into a political forum and thus these rules are needed. I truly don't understand why people don't just go over to social media or Discord to discuss their issues. I mean, X is bad but you can publically converse with the OTW account, so I truly don't get why stuff needs to happen on the Ao3 news. I know why I don't read the news comments anymore. At times they felt like the nasty YouTube comment sections. I love that Ao3 is this big these days, but I hate this development. (Same with the comment sections underneath some fics. It's just plain disgusting. Same with some tags.) People need to remember that behind every account, every fic, every news post and every Mod answer, there are real humans. People should think really hard about whether they'd actually speak that way irl with a stranger. So, thank you, as a former OTW volunteer, to the moderation team. Your job is going to suck as much as what Abuse has to look through. Don't let it get to you. You rock!
  
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wigglystuff Mon 27 May 2024 02:44AM UTC

good! 😌

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sak_supernatural Mon 27 May 2024 11:35AM UTC

Agreed, this is not the place politics. If people want to have these things in their fanfiction then fine, but not here. I come to AO3 to escape the real world problems.

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1. Rambert Fri 31 May 2024 06:55PM UTC
  
  The point is that's what we all want, yet this website continues to not actually be a safe place for escapism for certain types of people. That's been the issue for quite some time, yet people keep ignoring it and acting like people complain for no reason...
  
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2. shawnanypronouns Mon 03 Jun 2024 09:03PM UTC
  
  AO3 is open to the public, it is a social media platform that centres around creative writing, politics are naturally built into this because people cant exist without politics, everyone belongs on the spectrum somewhere. You may see something as being 'political', but for many, many, MANY people, that's just them, it's their life, their lived experience, and their reality every day, including on spaces like AO3. You might be able to disconnect from it because it doesnt affect you, but many people cannot.
  You say this isn't the place for politics, but that actively works to not make it a safe space for people trying to address racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism etc, etc, etc. that exists in this space. Neutrality only ever helps in enabling abusers, it does nothing for victims, in doing nothing, they are already choosing a side. I think that people are well within their right to push community spaces to be actively anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic, etc, etc, etc. rather than continuing to allow space for that behaviour.
  
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3. 1. sak_supernatural Mon 03 Jun 2024 11:50PM UTC
    
    You lost me at ao3 is a social media platform. It is not! It is an archive designed to host people's fanworks which can be searched for by other fans. It's literally in the name 'Archive Of Our Own' .
    
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  2. 1. grimmsnarl Tue 04 Jun 2024 01:05AM UTC
      
      It's social media in a very general, literal sense of the word... but not in any helpful way, I think.
      
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    2. Rambert Wed 05 Jun 2024 07:02AM UTC
      
      AO3 has a Twitter account and is talked about on literally every social media platform, it counts. Just because the commenting systems are rather archaic (I don't mean this in a derogatory way in the slightest, I prefer it) doesn't make this not a social media website in the most literal of terms... we are constantly interacting with one another and can share opinions, that's all "social media platform" means when you boil it down.
      
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    3. shawnanypronouns Wed 05 Jun 2024 11:31AM UTC
      
      Facebook is a social media network centered around blogging photos, Tiktok is a social media network centered around posting short videos. The format that the media is in doesn't change that it's a social media network.
      Places like AO3, Wattpad, ff.net, good reads, etc. all centre around posting written works of all different types and styles. Just like on other social media, even less personal ones like Pinterest, people talk about their in their author's notes, you can comment and interact with individual posters and users or very publicly with the community as a whole, you can leave kudos on works you enjoy, you can save media that you want to view again, you can subscribe to individual works or series to be notified when they are updated or subscribe to a user so that you can be updated whenever they post, etc, etc. It being an archive doesn't change that it's an online social network lmao
      
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    4. 1. sak_supernatural Thu 06 Jun 2024 03:38PM UTC
        
        Ao3 is a public library for fanfiction. There is no algorithm that dictates what you see (frankly I would riot if there was) and there are no adds. Fanfiction is not content, it is a gift born out of love and shared to bring joy, nobody can ever profit off ao3 like you can off social media. It is a fan created, fan run, and fan funded website. Comments, kudos, and hits mean nothing in terms of where your fic will appear in the search, even date updated means little when people are using the tag filters. You cannot interact directly with other users, only via comment section of someone's fic where the author retains controle of whats going on. I will never view ao3 as a social media site, its just not!
        
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      2. shawnanypronouns Fri 07 Jun 2024 12:17AM UTC
        
        None of that has anything to do with social media, there differences between sites, yes, but that doesn't change what they are. You can say that tiktoks are 'creative gifts born out of love', that doesn't mean it isn't media content for the purpose of entertainment?? Like, just think about what social media is, it's in the term, Social. Media. It just means spaces online where people interact for social and entertainment reasons, usually over a common media form (like videos, photos or written works), but often it is multiple forms mixed together. There is no requirement that there is an algorithm that recommends you things, although most other fanfiction and written works social media does have that. Just because the site functions as a library for inspired written works doesn't change its purpose, tiktok is a library and archive of short-form video content, Facebook is a library and archive of photos, those both have algorithms that function differently, and you can't make money off Facebook posts either, both of those platforms have comment spaces (that are under the control of the posting account or mediated by a more external force) where you can directly interact with other users or the original poster. Like, it's not a bad thing for it to be social media, that's just what it is??
        
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VulcansDarkest Mon 27 May 2024 01:12PM UTC

Oh thank goodness! Thank you for implementing this!

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Account Deleted Mon 27 May 2024 02:14PM UTC

Good 👍

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thebadwolf Mon 27 May 2024 07:00PM UTC

Thank Lucifer. The comment section is turning into reddit, something that isn't helpful.

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birdboy2000 Mon 27 May 2024 08:19PM UTC

I'd like to reiterate the concerns I've seen elsewhere in thread about the dangers inherent in making misinformation a hideable offense, and that it is my sincere hope that this will not lead to abuse of power; I've seen too many others use similar language as an excuse to shut down the disclosure of factually true but unflattering information, and hope that AO3's assurances to the contrary can be relied on now and into the far future.
Everything else seems reasonable, however.

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1. pineapple_belongs_on_pizza (21lik) Mon 27 May 2024 09:22PM UTC
  
  Agreed. The listed policies are good in theory, but the truth is unpopular and the temptation to suppress it is strong. Hopefully AO3 wields the power prudently and responsibly.
  
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2. 1. ayahkisser Tue 28 May 2024 05:30AM UTC
    
    +1
    
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3. gravityboysshieldgang Mon 27 May 2024 09:50PM UTC
  
  +1
  
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4. Vivi53 Wed 29 May 2024 04:10PM UTC
  
  +1
  
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5. Account Deleted Mon 03 Jun 2024 01:42PM UTC
  
  I wish I could give comments kudos. +1
  
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