Community Guidelines

South Today is a small publication, and we want the people who write to us to feel welcome and respected. These guidelines apply to pitches, emails and, eventually, comments. Comments are not open yet, and there is no comment section on any story. We have written these guidelines now so expectations are clear before they are needed.

The basics

• Be courteous. Disagree with ideas, not with people.
• Be accurate. If you are not sure of something, say so.
• Be specific. Concrete detail helps more than general complaint.
• Respect the communities and heritage we write about, including the ones you do not belong to.

For pitches and emails

Writers and readers who email us, whether at [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected], should be able to expect a respectful reading. In return, we ask that messages stay civil, that you do not send material that is not yours, and that you do not send personal information about other people without their consent. We cannot promise a reply to every message.

For future comments

If we open comments, we expect to ask for similar behavior. We expect that we would not allow the following:

• Harassment, threats or personal attacks.
• Hate speech or demeaning remarks about race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, origin or class.
• Spam, advertising or links to unrelated sites.
• Posting private details about others.
• Impersonation of staff, writers or other readers.

What happens when guidelines are broken

We may decline to respond to messages that break these guidelines, and we may block repeat senders. If comments open, we may remove posts that break them. We will try to apply the guidelines fairly, and we will update this page before comments begin.

If something concerns you, tell us at [email protected]. Our editorial standards page describes how we handle accuracy and corrections.

Assuming good faith

Most messages we expect to receive will be thoughtful, and we intend to read them that way. A short, polite note that points out a mistake is welcome, even when it is blunt. What we ask is that people remember there is a person on the other end, and that the South is a big place with many voices in it. Disagreement about food, music or place is part of the conversation, and we hope it stays a friendly one.