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March 18, 2007
Posting comments
The web has given the public the ability to comment on news stories by newspapers and television news outlets through blogs, message boards and article commenting, all of which we now have on our web site as well.
Don't agree with our analysis? You can now post your reaction at the end of the story through our article commenting script.
Think we are ignoring an issue that needs to be covered? You can now post a new topic in our message board and start your own discussion.
And if you really think topics are being ignored, you can now set up your own blog and say whatever you want.
In reading many of the comments you are posting, however, it seems a lot of posters think this means they can attack the views of other posters, which is not was these new features were set up for.
The various methods of commenting were set up to encourage a frank exchange of ideas, a way to debate topics of importance to everyone in the community in which we live.
Many of the newspapers that allow the public to post comments, have been forced to moderate those comments due to the abuse of the feature by some of their users. I guess "moderate" is another way of saying "censoring" your comments.
I may not like some of the comments you are posting, or agree with them, but I feel strongly that you have the right to say whatever you want, so we do not moderate our article commenting.
We do read them, and occasionally, someone posts a comment that gets our attention, which is the reason we allow commenting in the first place.
There have been several instances where the comments have gotten abusive, there have been instances when some have posted inappropriate comments, and instances of posters trying to advance a personal agenda, and we were forced to turn moderation on for a short period of time.
I have received emails from readers who were offended by some of the comments posted, and in one instance, a reader who claimed that comments attributed to him were posted by someone else.
Remember, people say things anonymously they would never say if they had to sign their name to the statement. This means you may see comments of how people really feel about an issue as opposed to a "politically correct" post, but it also means some people will use the opportunity to post things that shouldn't be said on this forum.
While I encourage you to join the discussion, I hope you will take this seriously and post comments that will provide insight into the issues facing us today. Post what you want, but be aware, abusive or inappropriate comments may be removed.
Posted by Bustraan on March 18, 2007 2:11 PM
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