Boston Globe columnist calls for an end to internet comments
Got a comment? Keep it to yourself - The Boston Globe
Part of me agrees with him, that the comments section below news stories are usually just hate-filled baths of crazy, racism and evil. But the other part of me often enjoys the spectacle and ignorance that can be mined therein.
My problems with these forums can be boiled down to three peeves: The level of commentary demeans and devalues the very product newspapers should be promoting; sniping, misinformation, and insensitivity that would not be tolerated in the newspaper that hosts the forums are regularly posted, seemingly encouraged, and even granted an aura of legitimacy from the association with the host’s brand; they create a self-perpetuating cycle in which anonymous, unverified information creeps into legitimate news coverage in ways that haven’t been fully vetted.
I feel sorry for today’s reporters and columnists, who work hard gathering information dutifully trying to raise the debate on issues or inform the public on a burning topic only to have some agenda-driven bonehead who doesn’t have the courage - or need - to identify himself or herself and isn’t bound by the same ethics or policies tear down the work product the moment it appears.
Have newspaper publishers and editors really thought through all the repercussions? Is it just a numbers game; that is, do they think the volume of comments equals support for good journalism?
We watched the final stage (21) of the Tour de France this afternoon, after throwing the yammering children outside to play in the rain. Some British fellow won the stage with some very fancy sprinting, and some Spanish fellow won the whole magilla by being Superman or something. 
