(Applies to comments, social-media posts, user-submitted articles, reviews and any other user-generated content across our website, mobile apps and official social channels.)
1. Purpose & Spirit
SadNation exists to deliver ethically questionable news, uncomfortably close to the truth. Our satire may sting, but the community space around it should not. These guidelines ensure civil, witty, and lawful engagement. While the world may be doomed, our comment section doesn’t have to be.
2. Scope
These rules apply to:
| Where | Examples |
|---|---|
| On-site | Article comments, photo captions, polls, on-site forums |
| Social | Replies, tags, DMs, or unhinged discourse on our official accounts (Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, etc.) |
| Submissions | Guest satire, hot takes, tips, reader rants, fabricated leaks, open letters to aliens, etc. |
3. Core Principles
- Be clever, not cruel – Punch up, never down.
- Satire ≠ slander – Mock ideas, not people’s existence.
- Truth is optional, integrity isn’t – Label your jokes, cite your sources, and spell properly.
- No hate, no harm – Disagreement is fine; dehumanization is not.
- Contribute, don’t contaminate – Add to the conversation, not to the problem.
4. Content Standards
| Allowed / Encouraged | Strictly Prohibited |
|---|---|
| • Witty, on-topic banter • Constructive absurdity • Smart humour, dumb puns welcome • Thoughtful critique of public figures • Language as sharp as your satire, minus gratuitous profanity • Clearly labelled parody or speculation • Credited references, even if they’re fake news outlets • Fair use quoting (≤75 words, properly attributed) • Intelligent self-promotion within context | • Hate speech: slurs or demeaning remarks about race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or medical condition • Harassment, threats, bullying, doxxing • Graphic violence or gore; glorification of self-harm • Sexual content intended to arouse; exploitation or depiction of minors in any sexual context • Profanity or vulgarity used to insult or shock (mild language acceptable when contextually necessary and censored: e.g., “d—n”) • Illegal behaviour: instructions to commit crimes, promotion of drug abuse, sale of weapons • Defamation or unverified allegations presented as fact • Disinformation (health, political, financial, etc.) spread knowingly or recklessly • Copyright-infringing material (full articles, large excerpts, licensed images, pirated files) • Malware, phishing links, URL shorteners that obscure destination • Commercial spam, multi-level marketing, affiliate links (unless prior written approval) |
5. Formatting & Presentation
- Stay on-topic – this isn’t your therapy group (unless the topic is therapy).
- Limit emojis – The human brain can only process up to 10.
- Keep it readable – no ALL-CAPS paragraphs, excessive emojis or line breaks.
- Same language preferred; on posts in a particular language, posts and comments must include a summary in the same language.
- Trigger or spoiler warnings – use a clear label (e.g., [Spoiler]).
- Quote responsibly – credit sources and don’t flood threads with copy-pastes.
6. Intellectual Property & Plagiarism
- Submit only what you own or are legally allowed to parody.
- Attribute everything—especially if you’re quoting a fictional Prime Minister.
- Guest submissions must be original, unpublished, and free of AI plagiarism. (Yes, we can tell when ChatGPT writes your hot take.)
7. Privacy & Personal Data
- No doxxing, no leaks, no “guess who I saw at Centrelink” posts.
- Don’t expose personal info (addresses, financials, incriminating selfies).
- Consent is mandatory for images or videos featuring others, especially minors.
- Respect ongoing legal matters; our satire doesn’t extend to contempt of court.
8. Self-Promotion & Advertising
- Subtle plugs are fine if relevant and disclosed (e.g., “I work for The Onion, but SadNation is funnier”).
- No affiliate links, crypto pitches, miracle supplements, or AI cult recruitment.
- Sponsored satire must be pre-approved and will be labelled clearly by SadNation editors.
9. Safety & Security
- Don’t impersonate SadNation staff. We’re already doing a great job pretending to be journalists.
- Report shady links or users pretending to be government officials.
- If someone’s in actual danger, call emergency services before tagging us.
10. Moderation Workflow
- Automated filters remove obvious spam or disallowed terms.
- We moderate with both algorithms and caffeine-fueled humans.
- Possible actions:
- Edit: Remove personal data or censor mild profanity.
- Warning: Gentle reminder that satire ≠ slander.
- Hide: Comment visible only to the author until fixed.
- Remove: For serious breaches or obvious insanity.
- Suspend/Ban: Repeat offenders or people who still think SadNation is real.
- Appeals – Get in Touch within 7 days with your username, link, and explanation. A senior mod (who wasn’t involved) will review. Bribes in the form of memes are appreciated but not accepted.
11. Liability & Disclaimers
- Opinions expressed by users are their own; SadNation is not liable for user content but will act promptly on valid legal notices.
- We comply with the Australia Defamation Act 2005, the Online Safety Act 2021, the EU Digital Services Act, and other relevant legislation.
- Law-enforcement requests or court orders may require us to share user data.
12. Updates
These guidelines may evolve, because humans do not. The “Last updated” date at the top shows current version. Continued use after updates means you accept the new terms (and possibly your fate).
Help Keep SadNation Civil in a World That Isn’t
If you see something that breaks the rules, or reality itself, flag it. Together, we can keep SadNation intelligent, irreverent, and responsibly ridiculous.