News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Tell HN: Uptick in mean-spirited comments by JofArnold on Sunday October 31, 2010 @05:40AM (#1852945)
Perhaps clearly stating the policy/approach at the top of the HN page?

Not of the form "You must do this". But rather of the form "The mission of HN is to supply stimulating, insightful, {insert mission here}... Therefore always be polite, thoughtful, engaging and supporting".

That'll be enough I think. It's currently not immediately clear what the mission is unless you explore and delve deeper.

Re:Tell HN: Uptick in mean-spirited comments by JofArnold on Sunday October 31, 2010 @05:41AM (#1852946)
It's also the simplest non-tech thing to try first ;)