Huckleberries Online

Brodeur: In Defense Of No Moderation

Posted by DFO

May 12, 2009 1:20 p.m. • 37 comments

The leadership at this paper is struggling with how to do that while maintaining some measure of intelligent debate and human decency. Do we let commenters rip in this, a free country? Or monitor them by the minute, and clean up the trash as soon as it hits the site? And who decides what is trash, anyway? Last month, former Washington Post executive editor Doug Feaver wrote a blog post defending “the anonymous, unmoderated, often appallingly inaccurate, sometimes profane, frequently off-point and occasionally racist reader comments” on that newspaper’s site. It was a big change, because Feaver, like many editors, has worked to maintain standards, while still giving readers a forum to vent. Commenting allows readers to complain about what they see as unfairness or inaccuracy in news stories; to talk to each other, “And, yes,” Feaver wrote, “to bloviate”/Nicole Brodeur, Seattle P-I. More here.

Question: Has Huckleberries Online struck the right balance in moderating the comments thread? Would you prefer a fairly unmoderated comments section like the Press has?

37 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Lynne on May 12 at 1:40 p.m.
Would you prefer a fairly unmoderated comments section like the Press has?

NO!
Nick_Adams on May 12 at 1:43 p.m.
I think the moderation is fairly balanced. The moderator, on the other hand, is off his rocker. ; )

Please don’t let HBO degenerate in to the messpool. I realize it’s a lot of work, but the blogoshphere is better for it.
Charlie on May 12 at 1:46 p.m.
NO! The CdA press comments section turns into a war zone from time to time. I look in and am amazed at the name calling and other no-no’s. I like to know the rules beforehand. Steady as she goes!
JeanieSpokane on May 12 at 1:48 p.m.
We love you, DFO, and can’t quit you. You’re stuck with us!
JeanC on May 12 at 1:52 p.m.
I’ve popped into the Press threads on occasion and usually come away feeling like I need to shower. Things may start flying here, but the moderation level is just right.
toadman on May 12 at 1:55 p.m.
No. I prefer lightly moderated (like lightly salted, only better). It’s good to weed out the racists, morons, and people who think the National Enquirer is a reputable source of information (I heard they been sending mind control waves over them there computers!), lest we unwittingly give them more credit than they’re worth. So yeah, if I ever say something as stupid as “I believe Aliens and Jews are running the government and that Obama is our new Alien Anti-Christ Overlord,” moderate the hell out of me.. PLEASE.
Don_Sausser on May 12 at 2:01 p.m.
DFO, I think you’ve got it nailed the way it is.
Liz on May 12 at 4:16 p.m.
I think its working well.

On a different but related note: what do people think about Facebook’s recent removal of holocaust deniers under violation of their TOS as promoting “hate”???
The problem is, I can see a lot of leeway here for other stuff to be labeled as “hate promoting” and denied access too.
pthompson on May 12 at 4:24 p.m.
I think the format HBO now has promotes the free flow of ideas and educational arguement without personal hack attacks that lead to chaos and mindless insult such as the CDA Mess has now.
jazzyvandal on May 12 at 4:43 p.m.
I think the moderation here is fine. As for the CDA Press, what an embarrassment to this area.
Nick_Adams on May 12 at 5:30 p.m.
@Liz: Good for Facebook. It’s a business trying to establish friendly and open communities. They don’t need holocaust deniers anymore than they need the Klan, Aryan Nations, Black Panthers or the Symbionese Liberation Army. Really, any group that has advocated violence has no place on a social networking site.

They already have the Press comments section.
Stickman on May 12 at 8:54 p.m.
NO. I agree with Don, leave it alone.
EagleKeeper44 on May 12 at 9:00 p.m.
NO
HBO is a Class Act….
It Ain’t broke,so don’t fix it……
Steady as she goes……..

((HBO))
Escapee on May 12 at 9:20 p.m.
It might just be that A Better Class Of Bloggers frequents Huckleberries. DFO’s responsible for that in part…every group needs policing once in a while…but this is a pretty doggoned good group o’people here. My two cents, anyway.
florined on May 12 at 10:04 p.m.
I think registration is a part of DFO’s good work, too. It has a dampening effect on those who would say anonymously what they would deny if their identies were known to the host.
Liz on May 12 at 11:46 p.m.
I think my concern re: facebook is that “hate” would not just be defined as “violence promoting” but also could get extended to groups that have differing opinions about different social issues.
There was also quite a vociferous group that was very angry that a group disrespecting our troops had formed and they wanted it removed.
Whilst I thought some of what the anti-military group had to say was very, very wrong and inappropriate, I also do not think it would have been right for FB to shut the group down simply because others did not like what they had to say.
Nick_Adams on May 13 at 12:30 a.m.
@Liz: I see your point, but keep in mind that Facebook is following a business model. They have the right to deny anyone or group access to their site if they believe it will compromise their path to profitability. Certainly others have the right to protest the inclusion or exclusion of other members or groups, but it’s ultimately Facebook’s call.

The First Amendment only protects us against the government restricting our free speech, not private enterprise. No matter what Miss California may claim.
Nick_Adams on May 13 at 12:46 a.m.
Liz has brought up a good point and one that affects multiple threads on HBO. DFO has made it clear that we’re allowed to speak our minds, but only under his rules. The CDAmess site thread is another example. Miss California. The Pentico trespass case. Tolerance. Wanda Sykes. Rush Limbaugh. Christian dancing.

Every day we’re confronted with views we disagree with. Opposing those views is not protected by the first amendment. It only protects us from the government making laws against us expressing our views. All other limits are placed on us by those who own the platform, society and, ultimately, ourselves.

Fascinating exercise in personal expression.
Dan_at_Avista on May 13 at 11:46 a.m.
I think moderating comments - at least here - seems to be working. It’s like an editing award for the Oscars - how do I know what they left out anyway? There are some yay-hoos, but that’s a reflection of society.

My question is this: should newspaper/online journalism resources have different moderation rules than businesses who host a blog or comments section? While HBO and the Press are associated with news/journalism - would a business need to have a little tighter control even if they want honest dialog and conversation?

I’m working on some new ways to talk to our customers online and we want to do it the right way. Any suggestions?

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About this blog

D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.