fbpx

Community Standards

Skagit Breaking News is here to provide information, connect our community, and encourage conversations that improve our community. In order to provide this forum, we need everyone to be on the same page.

First of all, SBN is on the listening end of the scanner, we are not dispatch; we are not the police, EMS, or fire crews. To reach them in an emergency, call 9-1-1. All 9-1-1 calls are free, even if you’re out of minutes or using an old phone without a plan. If you’re uncomfortable contacting law enforcement for whatever reason, know that you do not HAVE to leave your name, although it is often helpful for law enforcement to be able to contact you about what you are reporting.

We are all aware of problems within our community and blaming individuals, groups of people, or institutions will not solve problems. All comments on SBN websites, social media, and other SBN-associated publications will be free from maliciousness, blame, and gross generalizations based on race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex/gender, national origin, age, or disability. This doesn’t mean that our posts will be entirely free from such references (e.g. posting the race, sex, etc. of a suspect), or that we don’t encourage the discussion of how these general “categories” impact our community; it simply means we will respect each other.

Respecting each other also means that profanity will not be tolerated. Sure, sudden outbursts, when you hear breaking news, may include profanity, but in the time it takes you to write a reply, you can clean up your language. This includes any photo comments you may post. There are plenty of free apps out there that you can use to censor the language on your “perfect” meme.

The last standard is a little more vague. SBN moderators will hide, delete, and/or report any comments that put the lives of our first responders in jeopardy. This includes any scanner traffic you may hear while listening on your own, photos posted that involved the photographer interfering with what first responders needed to be doing, and photos revealing the identity of victims, suspects, especially when the situation is serious.

In short:
1. SBN is not 9-1-1. Exit your social media app and use your phone to call 9-1-1 if it’s an emergency.
2. Be nice. Be respectful. Be kind.
3. Keep your language G or PG. (including in pics)
4. Only post information that won’t hurt anyone.

Our Community Standards are subject to change without notice and comments/pictures posted on SBN are subject to moderation outside of these standards at the discretion of moderators; however, if you follow our Community Standards, it is unlikely that your comment will be hidden or deleted. All submissions, photos, and comments become the property of Skagit Breaking News and we have the right to re-distribute such submissions. Credit for submissions may be given to the name on the electronic account used to submit information, other name or business as arranged prior to submission, or submissions may be used without credit as items in the public domain.