The emergence of online comments as a popular way for readers to engage in dialogue about the issues of the day is a welcome development in news organizations ability to connect with the public. It also presents those organizations with challenges when it comes to the management of those comments.
The Chief has recently seen a significant increase in the number of readers taking advantage of the opportunity, and thats a good thing. However, the fact that readers can comment anonymously means that the online forum isnt quite the same animal as the more traditional forum provided by letters to the editor. Because of the anonymity factor, we think a higher level of civility and decorum is required online.
This past week, for example, a story from the March 18 edition of The Chief about plans by Pearls 2nds second-hand store to expand, and including comments from a business owner concerned about a perceived as a proliferation of second-hand stores and what that could mean for the downtown area as a whole generated a spirited discussion on The Chiefs website.
To this writers way of thinking, the lions share of the comments were fair and added to the discussion. However, one mentioned the word boycott in reference to the business owned by one person quoted in the article. If this had been a signed letter to the editor, we probably would have deemed such a remark fair comment and run with it. But because most online comments are anonymous, we thought it was unfair. Sure, its fine to react with indignation when such issues arise the aforementioned businessperson was called elitist and other such labels. While people are always free to spend their money at whichever business suits them, we felt calling for a boycott was out of line under the circumstances.
As one who commented on the issue later stated, This guy was asked his opinion and he gave it. I dont think he should be crucified for what he said. I dont necessarily agree with it, but Im not gonna jump on my high horse to justify why my point of view morally supercedes the Gelato mans.
Online comments are also not the place to promote a product or service. In the past few weeks weve seen a couple such instances. Last week, for example, someone posted a brief comment below our story about the initiative to attract a reality-based TV show to Squamish. After one sentence which this writer regarded as a legitimate response to the story the commenter launched into a promotion of his/her own filmmaking efforts, including a link to a YouTube trailer for a recent film. If those persons would like to contact The Chief by email or phone to pitch a story idea, were all ears. But we felt promoting ones own product under the pretense of commenting on a story was just a hair over the line.
Online comments are still a fairly new phenomenon for editors (especially those who cut their teeth in the news business before the computer age), and as such, managing them is an evolving art. As always, though, this writer welcomes comments or critiques of anything that appears in these pages or under The Chiefs URL.
David Burke
