Moderation
==========

Anyone can **report** content. Users with the **MODERATOR** or **ADMIN** role can also review reports, hide or restore content, see the edit history of posts, and (for admins) manage the moderator team.

This chapter has two parts:

* **For everyone** – how to report a post or a comment.
* **For moderators and admins** – the moderation pages, queues and actions.

For everyone: report content
----------------------------

If a wanted poster or comment violates our community rules, you can flag it. The platform hides the content from the public list until a moderator has reviewed it.

To report a wanted poster:

1. Open the post detail page.
2. Click **Report**.
3. Optionally add a short reason ("identifying data", "harassment" …).
4. Click **Flag post**. You'll see a confirmation.

To report a comment:

1. Find the comment under the post.
2. Click the **Report** action on the comment.
3. Optionally add a reason.
4. Click **Flag comment**.

The post or comment is hidden from the public feed and added to the moderators' queue. You can keep using the platform as usual.

For moderators and admins
-------------------------

When you are signed in with the **MODERATOR** or **ADMIN** role, four extra links appear in the header:

* **Flagged Posts** – ``/moderation/flagged-posts``
* **Flagged Comments** – ``/moderation/flagged-comments``
* **Deleted Posts** – ``/moderation/deleted-posts``
* **Deleted Comments** – ``/moderation/deleted-comments``

ADMIN users additionally see **Moderators** to manage the team.

.. note::

   If you don't see these links and you should, sign out and back in
   to refresh your token. If they still don't appear, ask an admin to
   add the **MODERATOR** role to your account.

Flagged content
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The flagged-posts and flagged-comments queues list every reported item. For each entry you see who flagged it, when, the reason (if any), the title and content, and the author.

Two actions per row:

* **Approve** – uphold the report. The post or comment stays hidden (or, for comments, is soft-deleted). You may add an optional reason for the audit.
* **Reject** – dismiss the report. The post or comment becomes visible again. Optional reason as well.

Approve and reject both record who acted, when and why. The flag is then closed.

.. screenshot:: moderation-flagged-posts
   :alt: Moderation — flagged posts page
   :width: 100%
   :caption: Flagged posts queue with approve / reject actions per row.

.. screenshot:: moderation-flagged-comments
   :alt: Moderation — flagged comments page
   :width: 100%
   :caption: Flagged comments queue with approve / reject actions per row.

Soft-deleted content
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When an author deletes their own post or comment, or when you soft-delete one, the item is removed from the public feed but kept in the database. It then appears in **Deleted Posts** / **Deleted Comments**.

Per row you can:

* **View** – open the item in its (deleted) state.
* **Restore** – bring it back. A reason is required so other moderators can follow your reasoning.
* **Delete permanently** – wipe it from the database. *This cannot be undone.* Prefer restore over permanent delete unless you have a strong reason (legal request, repeated abuse, …).

.. screenshot:: moderation-deleted-posts
   :alt: Moderation — deleted posts page
   :width: 100%
   :caption: Soft-deleted posts with restore and permanent-delete actions.

.. screenshot:: moderation-deleted-comments
   :alt: Moderation — deleted comments page
   :width: 100%
   :caption: Soft-deleted comments with restore and permanent-delete actions.

Moderation actions on individual posts and comments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even outside the queues, while you browse the regular feed:

* On a **post**: you can **Soft delete** or **Restore** it, and view the **Edit history** (every change to title, content, sighting type, reward, tags, etc., with timestamps and the actor).
* On a **comment**: you can **Soft delete** or **Restore** it.

Soft delete and restore both ask for a short reason where required.

Edit history
~~~~~~~~~~~~

The edit history shows the chain of changes for a post: previous and new value side by side, who changed it, when, and the optional reason. It's the audit trail you can rely on when judging a flagged or restored post.

For admins: manage moderators
-----------------------------

ADMIN users have an extra page **"Manage moderators"** (``/administration/moderators``). There you can:

* **Add moderator** – type a username and click **Add as moderator**. Only people who have already posted, commented or messaged are findable by name.
* **Remove moderator** – revoke the **MODERATOR** role from a user; they keep their account but lose moderator capabilities.

Best practices
--------------

* **Review promptly.** Hidden content piles up if it sits too long.
* **Be consistent.** Apply the rules the same way to everyone.
* **Always add a reason** on restore or permanent delete – it helps the next moderator.
* **Prefer soft delete over permanent delete** – it's reversible.
* **Use edit history before judging** an edited post; sometimes context changed.

Trouble?
--------

* **The actions don't work** – make sure you provided the required reason. Check your network and try again.
* **You don't see moderation links** – your account doesn't have the role; ask an admin.
* **Restore failed** – the underlying author may have been deleted; contact an admin.

What's next?
------------

* :doc:`posts` and :doc:`comments` – the content you're moderating.
* :doc:`faq` – common questions about moderation.