📖 Content moderation glossary
What is pre-moderation?
In short
Pre-moderation is a moderation method in which user content is held back and reviewed before it becomes visible to the public; nothing is published until it has been approved.
With pre-moderation, each comment goes into a waiting queue. A moderator or an automated system approves it, rejects it or edits it before anyone else can read it. It is the most protective method, because abusive content never reaches the audience.
Example: a public body opens comments on a consultation page about a sensitive local project. To avoid insults against named officials appearing even for a few minutes, it chooses pre-moderation: comments appear only once checked.
The cost is speed and conversation. If approval takes hours, discussions die and users feel censored. Pre-moderation suits small volumes, high-risk topics or audiences that include minors. Elsewhere, many teams prefer post-moderation combined with fast automated filtering, which keeps conversations live while still catching clear violations within seconds.