User Comments on Local News Sites

[I-10east]

That's what social justice warriors want, for us to lose the ability of free speech. You'd think that there would be more than enough propaganda in the Huff Post to satisfy them, then to worry about some comments on a newspaper feed.... 

[Adam White]

That's what social justice warriors want, for us to lose the ability of free speech. You'd think that there would be more than enough propaganda in the Huff Post to satisfy them, then to worry about some comments on a newspaper feed....

Although I wouldn't call myself a "warrior" for anything, I do believe in social justice. And I do believe in freedom of expression.

[I-10east]

^^^That's fine. It just seems like many of them like to control the narrative, ie those who accosted those reporters at Mizzou.

[Noone]

How convenient that a post was pulled.
Visit Jacksonville!

[Noone]

No post was pulled. Noone. just check out ordinance 2013-987

I revised something I wrote last night and reposted the finished thought.

I didn't revive this 5 year old thread. Legislation for 2013 only goes up to 820.
Visit Jacksonville!

[David]

Since this is a 5 year old thread have you guys noticed a change on the user comments on local news sites, or news sites in general since 2010? They seem like they're better moderated now. Or hidden. I don't notice them as much anymore.

[Adam White]

^^^That's fine. It just seems like many of them like to control the narrative, ie those who accosted those reporters at Mizzou.

I didn't see that (it didn't make the news over here). But it wouldn't surprise me - a lot of people need to chill out.

[Tacachale]

^^^That's fine. It just seems like many of them like to control the narrative, ie those who accosted those reporters at Mizzou.

I didn't see that (it didn't make the news over here). But it wouldn't surprise me - a lot of people need to chill out.

A group of protesters at Missouri physically barred reporters, including a Missouri student photographer, from documenting a gathering. Several of them cited the need for a "safe space" free from journalists who might report on them unsympathetically. The students were egged on by a crazy professor who later thought better of it and apologized.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/us/university-missouri-protesters-block-journalists-press-freedom.html?_r=0

The whole thing was pretty deplorable. Now it's been taken up in some circles to make a wider claim that "liberals" in general are in favor of restricting free speech. I see it more as a dispute between factions of liberals: "free speech" oriented progressives found it just as troubling as everyone else, even if they were generally sympathetic to the protesters.

[Tacachale]

I'd be interested to hear why the thread was resurrected

Since this is a 5 year old thread have you guys noticed a change on the user comments on local news sites, or news sites in general since 2010? They seem like they're better moderated now. Or hidden. I don't notice them as much anymore.

Jacksonville.com, which was the worst of the lot, did something fairly interesting in the last few years, which was to display only the top few comments. While the nutbags who frequent the comments section still have at it (and generate clicks for the advertisers), it's less visible for those who are less invested, so it feels less distracting and probably discourages the non-wingnuts from responding. Some other sites use Facebook login, so people have to attach their own names and faces to the comments, which does seem to make them (somewhat) less likely to be jerks.

[TheCat]

If you're looking for "good" commentary you definitely want to check out WOKV's facebook page.

Every person has become a news source as a result of social media and some of your friends are more credible sources than others.

The conversations that follow the credible as well as the obtuse posts are happening more and more on facebook.

Facebook is like one never-ending Thanksgiving dinner with your loving yet volatile family.

[spuwho]

Popular Science and some other science oriented magazines have dropped comment sections completely due to the huge amount of noise about global warming.  It got so bad it was carrying over into other topics not even related.

When certain scientific sources notified them that they would not provide anymore materials due to the vitriol, they just simply removed the comments section completely.

[I-10east]

The perfect polarizing poll results (although 5 years ago) are very interesting. It would be interesting to see continued present day results hypothetically.