Hot Topic has always encouraged a vigorous exchange of views on matters relating to climate science and policy, but there are some basic rules that all commenters should adhere to. Broadly speaking, comments should be “legal, decent, honest and truthful” — that is:
- not libellous or otherwise actionable at law,
- not offensive or obscene,
- represent honestly held opinions or views, offered in good faith (ie not deliberately “trolling” for a response),
- not deliberately misrepresent matters of fact.
Vigorous debate is encouraged, but reasonable standards of politeness should be maintained.
Commenters may use pseudonyms, but must register with the site using a legitimate email account and log-on to comment. I will not “out” users of pseudonyms, nor permit the use of email information by third parties.
Multiple personas, aka sock-puppets, are not permitted.
Comments must be relevant to the topic of the post to which they are made. Open threads are provided from time to time to allow for open debate. Off-topic comments may be deleted or moved to an open thread.
Comments that fall foul of any of the above policies may be deleted, or moved to The Twilight Zone, a thread reserved for tired old trolls and bores.