Websleuths members claiming to have firsthand knowledge of the case players or the investigation can share what they know IF they first become Verified Insiders here. It's a simple process to apply for verification and only WS owner Tricia will know your identity:
Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters Once verified you can share what you know without giving a source. Everyone else needs to be able to provide a source for their info.
If someone is not verified and posting info that's not in the MSM (or there's not a way we can check the info such as looking up court docs or looking at the suspect's personal websites, etc) then it's considered spreading rumors here and the posts would likely be removed by the mods. This is the internet. Anyone could make wild claims here if there wasn't some way to check rumors. In my experience, WS is unique for having these strict rules, but it makes it one of the best sites to be a part of-- Journalists, Law Enforcement and Legal Teams sometimes read here to fact check a case or to get ideas for strategy. We also have many Verified Professionals here (Lawyers, Doctors, Psychologists, Retired LE, Search & Rescue workers, etc) that often give their educated opinions or help us understand legal matters in cases.
One exception to the above on verification is if you are a local person to the case and want to share your general knowledge of the town/county/state, etc that does not require getting verified. Share away if you have general ideas on where the kids could be hidden in Yellowstone or Rexburg. Our members can also visit court hearings and report back on their observations and personal impressions. Sometimes hearings don't have any cameras allowed but do allow tweeting/texting and in those cases WS members will sometimes go to court and "live post" on a hearing without a lot of media coverage. So there are some things that can be posted here even if your not an insider or don't want to get verified.
MOO (Disclaimer: I'm not a moderator, just a member
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