From time to time, when I get bored with Facebook, bored with the news, bored with all the other websites that I go to just to escape the pressing reality of upcoming assignments, I look at the comments of online news stories and columns. There’s real entertainment there.
In the latest of The Badger Herald comments, kyleharris215@gmail.com noted “fuck u eat shit” on a news article. The brilliant response of another, bobontheknob, was “fuck you eat shit fuck you eat shit.”
After I attended a panel discussion on “Trollish Behavior and the Future of Online Comments” hosted by the Society of Professional Journalists Madison Pro Chapter, I have it on good authority that there are equally colorful and outspoken people commenting on other news sources like Isthmus, the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times.
The reason I can’t pull such vibrant examples of comments from them is that they have filters and moderators deleting the comments that are crass or aimed to harm others. What ignites the fuse to verbal fireworks in the comments section is the ability to post anonymously, according to panelist Dietram Scheufele, the John E. Ross professor in science communication at the University of Wisconsin.
As a result, many news sources force commenters to either use their Facebook login or their real name. However, according to Tim Kelley, digital media manager at Madison.com, “You would be amazed at what people will post even under their personal account.”
An extensive discussion on how to handle trollish behavior in the comments section then took place. The conclusion? There’s no real solution other than to sap the time and positive personality of the journalists themselves. The Wisconsin State Journal said that it is now having its journalists use time in their day to review the comments left on their articles. This is a harsh solution. If you’ve read any comments (or left ignorant ones of your own), you should understand why most journalists never look at the comments on their stories.
All of this lead to one encompassing question: Why do news sources allow comments on their stories when…
- Almost no revenue is derived from allowing comments, according to Kelley.
- The upkeep of moderation and filtration is time consuming.
- Someone who has a suggestion or fact checking reply to an article can just email the author. Better yet, according to Mark Pitsch, SPJ president, “They can pick up a phone and call them.”
- Commenting on a news article is not a valuable form of civil or democratic participation.
The real conclusion that no one wanted to stand up and voice is that all the news sources are still trying to figure out why they allow comments. Then again, I figured we all do things that are a waste of our time. I suppose online news sources can, too.
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