Community Rules

New York runs on strong opinions. The Local is where we channel them toward the people actually in charge, talk about the decisions shaping our city, and turn a little complaining into something constructive.

Bring your opinions, your hot takes, and a healthy dose of cynicism. We just have two ground rules.

1. Keep it civic.

Keep posts and comments relevant to NYC local government, politics, policies, and civic life. For any other neighborhood beef, there's an app for that.

No spam, unsolicited ads, or self-promotion. This isn’t your marketing funnel.

2. Keep it civil.

Disagree fiercely. Criticize politicians, policies, and public decisions all you want. That's the point.

Harassment, hate speech, and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age aren't part of the debate. Neither are personal attacks meant to intimidate or drive people out of the conversation.

Don't threaten people or expose their private information. That goes for your fellow New Yorkers and public officials alike. Criticize their decisions, their policies, and their public conduct all you want. Their personal safety and private lives are another matter.

Don't knowingly fabricate quotes, sources, or evidence to mislead others. The Local doesn't independently verify every claim, so take user-submitted content with a grain of salt.

A note on moderation

We reserve the right to remove posts or comments and suspend or ban accounts that violate these rules. We may also remove content that undermines the purpose of The Local, even if it doesn’t fit neatly into a bullet point above.

See something that breaks the rules? Report it so we can take a look.

Keep it civic. Keep it civil. It's not that complicated.