Why Have Many Comments About The Attack On Lara Logan Been Removed?

Many of the comments that have come in to our post about CBS News correspondent Lara Logan, who the network says was attacked and sexually assaulted last Friday while reporting in Cairo's Tahrir Square, have been flagged and removed because they violated NPR.org's discussion rules.

So this is a good time to discuss and review those rules, which are posted here. A few of their key points:

— If you can't be polite, don't say it.

— No personal attacks, name calling, libel, defamation or hate speech.

— Do not post anything that could be taken as threatening, harassing, bullying, obscene, pornographic, sexist or racist.

— Don't use obscenities.

— Please stay on topic.

As for the news about Logan and discussions about it, two other things are worth bearing in mind:

— There's much we don't know about what happened. Until we learn more, for example, jumping to conclusions about her attackers adds nothing to the discussion. They're criminals. Period.

— Blaming the victim is an old, tired game. Please don't.

Finally, here's a suggestion based on my more than 30 years of reporting and editing experience. Before you submit a comment, ask yourself this question: If I had to put my real name with this, would I hit "publish?"

If the answer is no, the better move might be to hit "delete."