Verified Commenters

Verified Commenters enjoy the privilege of commenting on articles and blog posts without moderation. A track record of high-quality comments is required to receive verified status. For more information, see “How do I become a Verified Commenter?”

The selection process is done algorithmically and is based on a number of factors, including comment history and the ratio of approved to rejected comments. These calculations are done automatically, there is no direct involvement by the New York Times staff.

The automatic selection process is the only way to become a Verified Commenter. We do not consider individual requests for verified status.

Verified Commenters can leave comments on NYTimes.com without initial moderation; a moderator reviews comments after they have been posted. We expect comments submitted by Verified Commenters to meet the standards we uphold for all comments. We reserve the right to remove comments that do not meet those criteria. For information on comment standards, see “What kind of comments are you looking for?”

No. We initially required Facebook verification because we believed that, in the absence of moderating comments before they were posted to NYTimes.com, real identities would dissuade commenters from posting content that did not meet our standards.

After studying the program, we no longer believe that allowing users to post under pseudonyms decreases the quality of comments submitted by Verified Commenters.

Yes, please contact verifiedfeedback@nytimes.com.

Yes. If you choose to discontinue being a Verified Commenter you can still leave comments and replies, which will be subject to moderation before being posted on the site, like any other registered NYTimes.com user.

Yes. For behavior that doesn't meet our standards you may be sent a warning or have your verified status revoked.

Verified Commenters will be notified with an e-mail from The New York Times. Shortly afterwards, a green check will appear next to your name and location on the comment submission form. This indicates that your comments will be posted to NYTimes.com without a moderation delay.

Please be sure to update your e-mail address to ensure delivery of your notification. 

We are very interested in hearing from our readers. Please submit feedback and questions to verifiedfeedback@nytimes.com.