Sierra Wave Media Social Media: Freedom of Speech & Moderation Policy

I. Guiding Principle: Protecting Free Expression

Sierra Wave Media is committed to upholding the principle of free speech and open dialogue for our audience. Our page serves as a public forum for discussing news, community events, and diverse viewpoints. We understand that free expression often involves speech that is unpopular, impolite, or may be considered insensitive by some members of the community.

We will not censor, remove, or ban users based solely on the fact that their speech is impolite, insensitive, or expresses controversial opinions.

II. Standard for Permissible Speech

Consistent with the principles of the First Amendment, we will allow speech—unless it clearly falls into a narrow, legally recognized exception to free speech protections.

A. Allowed Content (Even if Unpopular or Insensitive)

Strongly worded opinions on politics, social issues, or community matters.
Criticism of public figures, organizations, or policies.
Comments that are generally impolite, blunt, or express insensitivity regarding topics (e.g., strong disagreement, sarcasm, or general criticism of an idea or group).

B. Prohibited Content: Exceptions to Free Speech

For the safety of our community and to comply with the law, the following types of speech will be removed, and the users posting them may be subject to a temporary or permanent ban:

Incitement to Imminent Lawless Action: Speech that is intended and likely to produce or incite immediate violence or illegal activity.
True Threats: Statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals.
Fighting Words: Speech directed at an individual that is likely to provoke a reasonable person to immediately retaliate with violence (this exception is often narrowly defined).
Direct Harassment/Bullying: Severe attacks targeting in a malicious manner that falls outside of political or issue-based commentary.
Pornography/Graphic Violence: Content that violates Facebook’s policies regarding nudity, sexual exploitation, or gratuitously graphic violence.
Spam/Commercial Solicitation: Unrelated or excessive promotional posts or spam.

III. Moderation Process

Moderators will err on the side of free expression. If a post is merely offensive or uses harsh language but does not meet one of the seven prohibited criteria above, it will be allowed to remain.
Actionable Speech: Before removing any comment, moderators must clearly identify which of the seven prohibited exceptions the speech falls under.
Transparency: When possible, Sierra Wave Media may choose to publicly clarify why a comment was removed (e.g., “This comment was removed for constituting a True Threat”) without revealing private user information.