
I tried recently to comment about a column on The New York Times' website, but I found I could not do so. I sent an email to Public Editor Margaret Sullivan about the issue and received a column she wrote last year.
"One of the topics that receives the most questions and comments to the public editor is online commenting itself," she said.
It appears The New York Times allows comments on only 17 articles each day out of dozens posted on the website, with a staff to review the submissions. The moderators reject posts for being "inflammatory," including material considered off topic, name-calling, profanity and spam advertising.
I think the policy is wrong. I can understand why those seeking to moderate don't like those who inflame, but what may inflame the moderators may be good for discussion. What one person may consider off topic may be another way of looking at an issue. Name-calling? I certainly heard a lot of name-calling by politicians during the partial government shutdown. I wish profanity offended people, but it is part of American culture. Spam. Almost everyone ignores it, and most good computer programs discard it. Therefore, it seems to me The New York Times' policy may limit freedom of speech rather than promote it.
Policies vary for discussion boards. The Washington Times, for example, allows posts with a username — as do most other outlets — as long as the individual registers for an online account. The Wall Street Journal, however, requires the use of actual names.
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