DU Community Help

highplainsdem

(59,648 posts) Sun Dec 21, 2025, 12:52 PM Sunday

Since some DUers are occasionally resistant to correcting or deleting OPs that are fake even.when [View all]

shown that it's fake, it would help to have TOS making it against DU rules to leave the OPs unedited as they continue to trick other DUers.

The TOS does have this, under Content:

No kooky, extremist, or hate content

Do not promote ridiculous, bigoted, or extreme-fringe conspiracy theories. Do not promote extreme fringe views. Do not reference hate sites or other extremist/fringe sources.
Why we have this rule: Democrats are supposed to be part of the "reality-based community." Some amount of skepticism toward powerful institutions is healthy and appropriate, but that doesn't mean every paranoid fantasy is true. Posts about mass shootings being "false flag" operations, 9/11 being a controlled demolition, no airplane at the Pentagon, chemtrails, black helicopters, the Illuminati, or other nonsense make us all look like fools. This website may have the word "underground" in our name, but we are not extreme fringe.

Lots of people get fooled by deepfakes, fake quotes, and fake news stories on the internet. So simply making a mistake and posting an OP with that misinformation/disinformation shouldn't automatically be considered a violation of the TOS.

But leaving an OP with fake content on DU - after it's been shown to be fake and the DUer who posted the OP knows it's fake - is a more serious problem.

Especially if DUers are copying it elsewhere, and maybe saying the source is DU.

OPs like that move DU out of the reality-base community. They're nonsense that makes us all look like fools.

Can we please have a change in the TOS to make it clear it isn't OK to be deliberately misleading by leaving OPs whose content is revealed to be fake?

29 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Since some DUers are occasionally resistant to correcting or deleting OPs that are fake even.when [View all] highplainsdem Sunday OP

Yeah it's odd to me. I'll probably block said DUer Nittersing Sunday #1

This message was self-deleted by its author highplainsdem Sunday #3

That can make people who do that sort of thing - multiple DUers have, though fortunately it's rare - highplainsdem Sunday #4

I think it can be of some benefit to know what the propaganda happens to be. Irish_Dem Sunday #2

I agree with Irish Dem's post. First the incorrect post should be clearly tagged in a very conspicuous way. flashman13 Sunday #10

Yes this is the point. Irish_Dem Sunday #11

"We should never be censors, but should always strive to be educators." MichMan Sunday #12

I know that. Way too often it is because someone disagrees with the general DU consensus. flashman13 Sunday #25

I've become more sympathetic to this position but EarlG Sunday #5

Is it out of the question to have a designated committee for such? littlemissmartypants Sunday #7

One great thing about DU is I rarely if ever see fakes go unchallenged. paleotn Sunday #9

Not out of the question EarlG Sunday #16

I'd rather see critique than policing jmbar2 Sunday #21

I agree, I think it would be a mistake to punish people for posting fake news EarlG Sunday #24

How hard is it to add a new smilie? littlemissmartypants Monday #29

I find the mention of treating it like copyright violations to be interesting MichMan Sunday #27

This message was self-deleted by its author littlemissmartypants Monday #28

I understand, and sympathize. highplainsdem Sunday #8

Agree. A post that has been alerted as potentially fake should be highlit erronis Sunday #14

And sometimes people post something they didn't know was fake right before they go to bed, and highplainsdem Sunday #22

YES: It is beneficial to see fake information corrected in public... SWBTATTReg Sunday #6

Thank you - I have wanted this for years obamanut2012 Sunday #13

Guard the truth. Good advice. Thanks. twodogsbarking Sunday #15

I take it that you are not referring to the posts, increasingly using AI images, which are intended to be humorous. markodochartaigh Sunday #17

No, I'm not. I'm talking about serious deepfakes and fake quotes and fake news stories. And they highplainsdem Sunday #18

Hurts my ego but necessary SSJVegeta Sunday #19

I'm more than fine with this. LudwigPastorius Sunday #20

DU is a self policing site. Having been caught myself posting something not factual, I have learned to fact check surfered Sunday #23

When I see something that is dubious, I post rzemanfl Sunday #26