Commenters who are consistently rude or consistently distract from a conversation will be hidden from public view, and could lose their ability to participate in comments.

Comments are a valuable part of our site, and one of the ways that our readers are able to talk to us, and to each other.

We do not expect a new commenting system to solve age-old issues, but we do hope that it encourages more thoughtful interactions.

As in any conversation with a diverse group of people, remain respectful of differences. We don't ask that everyone agree, but we do expect that people refrain from hurtful nicknames for other's political parties, sexual orientation or gender. Racism will not be tolerated.

We're all human beings who deserve respect. We realize that the comments can become heated, but readers must not insult other commenters (or our reporters) and should remain on topic.

Comments that violate the site's terms of service will be deleted — in some cases, commenters will be banned. To report an issue, you'll be able to use the built-in flagging system to alert moderators.

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