Documenting factual information within Daily Kos posts

In June of 2023, kos published a story announcing a major change in our policy regarding community posts In an effort to combat mis- and dis-information, we have modified site policy to ensure that we do not aid in the dissemination of inaccurate news.

We are no longer worried about malicious actors trying to harm the site and its community. We’ve gotten pretty good at spotting and eliminating that. The danger now is that good-intended people unintentionally spread false information. The issue is exacerbated by confirmation bias, wanting to believe that Donald Trump or any of our roster of villains said or did that particularly crazy thing.

For reasons that should be obvious, we cannot let Daily Kos become a vector for that kind of false content. Our job is to inform and present information responsibly, rooted firmly as the “reality based community.” Anything that undermines that mission harms the site’s reputation, and your very own ability to be informed about what’s happening in the country.

Rather than taking a hands-off position toward Community content, kos stated “when we come across a story with bad information, we will proactively edit the story and add an admin’s note at the top explaining what was changed, and why.”

Just over a year later, kos posted a reminder that the site will not tolerate circulation of conspiracy theories. Publication of them can result in account banning. Within that post, he also shared the Breaking News Consumers’s Handbook, produced by On the Media/WNYC. This image provides key guidelines. 

These guidelines complement our Do Not #6 from the Rules of the Road:

Post misinformation or disinformation: Misinformation and disinformation present a threat not only to the site’s reputation but to political discourse in general. If a claim seems especially exciting or surprising, check for accuracy, look for corroborating and credible sources, and assess the plausibility of the argument before posting it, even if it fits a left-wing narrative. Be a wise and critical consumer of media, and correct your mistakes when necessary. When correcting a story, put a note at the top explaining what you’ve changed. Posting misinformation or disinformation can lead to administrative intervention, up to and including an account ban.

Implicit in all these guidelines is our expectation that Community posters who quote material or draw upon information published from other sources assume responsibility for becoming a trustworthy purveyor of news and analysis for their readers. We expect, in other words, Community members to uplift news and data derived from reliable and credible sources, not ones that rely on speculation, wishful thinking, or a rush to judgment. 

We also expect Community writers to credit and link to the sources for information they reference in a clear and accessible manner. The built-in Link Tool we provide in our story/comment editor provides an easy method for creating hyperlinks, but the pasting of a raw URL in a story or comment will accomplish the same purpose, just in a less accessible and elegant way. 

If a Community post does not have clear and accessible links to sources from which quotes or data or analysis have been lifted, that absence diminishes the credibility of the story and makes it harder for readers to engage constructively with the argument made by the post. Habitual disregard for our site expectations in this matter can lead to administrative sanctions, up to and including banning. 

The Help Desk staff can offer support regarding technical and logistical issues regarding the proper use of hyperlinks upon request.