Press: Online Comments Hard To Handle

27 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

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  Bent on May 17 at 9:02 a.m.

  It’ll be interesting to watch what happens with the new delete tool they are talking about. I would love to be able to delete people when they get on my nerves…

  BTW, DFO, do you think they were taking a swipe at you? At least, I found an interesting message between the lines in that editorial.

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  Arch_Druid on May 17 at 9:18 a.m.

  I’d have to say, Bent, that they were. Because the complaints all emanated from HBO about the crap that had appeared on the Press website. So, the Press DOES read HBO?

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  MatthewRoot on May 17 at 11:31 a.m.

  I have always admired the way that DFO has stood up against racism and hate speech – even to those in political power.

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  Dennis on May 17 at 12:06 p.m.

  My take is let them go ahead and swipe all they want. The “Mess” editor (s) got taken to the wood shed over the garbage they allowed in their comments section.

  I truly believe that the “Whoopin’ ” isn’t over yet based on that editorial. I do think that De-wayne would love to get that lid back on that can-o-worms. Too Late!!!!!!

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  Walkabout on May 17 at 12:06 p.m.

  Every website has the right to control content. It has nothing to do with free speech. Free speech means you can create your own website and say vile things. It means you can protest on the street corner or even have a parade where you express your views. It doesn’t mean you could come to my website and say what ever you want. The Press says they want to hear all points of view so they have allowed comments “even when those thoughts horrify or repulse us.” Clearly, allowing such objectionable comments amounts to no standards at all. Yes, there are racists in our community but who really cares what they have to say? Don’t legitimize haters by giving them a forum where their thoughts are accepted.

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  OrangeTV on May 17 at 12:08 p.m.

  I completely agree with you, Chip Jones.

  It’s maddening that it took such an awful tragedy to make the Press finally take steps toward getting their troll infestation under control. They’ve had a very disgusting case of the crabs for a while now, let’s hope they’ve got a strong bottle of RID shampoo.

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  Charlie on May 17 at 12:19 p.m.

  Didn’t the “Press” have mandatory registration within the last 6-12 months and let it slide? What will be different this time? The “Press” has a pattern of operations, it will revert to the days of old! To bad!

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  Kage_Mann on May 17 at 12:47 p.m.

  My take on this case is:people are fed up with criminal illegal aliens sneaking across the border and killing or victimizing americans.Some people say it’s racism when reading those comments, but the root cause of those comments are anger, frustration with our gov’ts in allowing these illegal aliens to come here seemingly at will IMO.They can’t find any legal documents stating this Honduran is a legal alien or resident. These illegals aliens come in and take jobs away from legal americans.Hell, illegal immigration has bankrupted California, when illegal aliens would come in and apply for their social service programs.

  To make this an issue about the Press or racism is missing the point.

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  OrangeTV on May 17 at 1:35 p.m.

  So, KageMann, if an influx of Canadians suddenly started flowing over the border illegally and took our jobs and our social service money, do you think people would make sweeping generalizations and disrespectful comments about their nationality and culture? And if they did that would be justified?

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  Kage_Mann on May 17 at 2:35 p.m.

  OrangeTV, if some of those comments were disrespectful of someones nationality and culture; it was a byproduct of the real issue of: illegal immigration as being the root cause of those comments IMO.Does it make it right that someone gets away with making disparaging comments? Of course not.People are just angry and frustrated, esp. at our gov’t.

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  rmarcham on May 17 at 4:14 p.m.

  So, what you’re saying, Kage Mann, is that it is perfectly OK to make racist statements because the person they’re talking about may have (no evidence provided one way or the other, of course) entered the country illegally?

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  Cis on May 17 at 5:34 p.m.

  I have more of a problem with their
  “some objected to what they described as hate speech inciting violence”. “Others felt the story threads were laced with racism.”

  Does that mean that the Press does’t object?

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  Stickman on May 17 at 7:02 p.m.

  I am proud to say I have never, ever, gone to the Press web site. I enjoy the family here, and have never felt the urge to see how the other side voices their opinions. But again, that’s just me.

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  Kage_Mann on May 17 at 8:27 p.m.

  Stickman, to be more fair and balanced on the issues, maybe you should indulge the Press a little. ;-)

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  hollykb on May 17 at 9:26 p.m.

  Their new comment system will probably be ratings-based like Digg or some other news Web sites… It doesn’t delete comments (unless they’re truly offensive or are spam), but users can upvote or downvote comments so the best ones appear at the top of the page.

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  MamaJD on May 18 at 6:33 a.m.

  The First Amendment doesn’t mandate that the Press or the SR provide a platform to indulge racist statements. Libel and slander is a different issue. To allow racial slurs to remain posted means either the Press is doesn’t care enough to pay attention OR it tolerates the racist rhetoric. After this weekend’s editorial, I believe it to be the latter.

  The editorial suggests they would rather have an accurate view of community feelings than a “censored” conversation. Maybe I’m out of touch but in *my* community of CdA residents I know, most don’t use racial slurs in everyday conversation. Am I the one out of touch? Is the Press correct here that racism is mainstream enough in our town that it will be tolerated on our local paper’s website?

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  moscow_minidoka on May 18 at 8:15 a.m.

  Kage_Mann says that frustration over illegal immigration was at the root of the Press’ racist posters. Um, could you please explain to me what illegal immigration has to do with the very clear anti-Indian racist posts?

  Speaking of illegal immigration, Kage, why don’t you ask the Tribe about that subject. ;)

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  spokelooneh on May 18 at 8:31 a.m.

  MM, there were racist anti-Indian posts on the Mess? The race of the victim? Seriously?

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  moscow_minidoka on May 18 at 8:34 a.m.

  Spokelooneh - Yes, to paraphrase, it was something like “White people have been killing Indians for hundreds of years - it’s time to give other races a chance.”

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  spokelooneh on May 18 at 8:44 a.m.

  “moscow_minidoka on May 18 at 8:34 a.m.

  Spokelooneh - Yes, to paraphrase, it was something like “White people have been killing Indians for hundreds of years - it’s time to give other races a chance.””

  Oh, that comment. I remember that. I have a different take on it, however. I took it as ultra snark.

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  Dennis on May 18 at 9:20 a.m.

  spokelooneh;

  It just wasn’t that, there was a post that was up that spoke about people of color that stated that race mixing was “Messing with the natural order created by god”. I don’t know about you,,, but that’s about as racist as one can get.

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  spokelooneh on May 18 at 9:46 a.m.

  Agreed, Dennis.

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  Sisyphus on May 18 at 9:49 a.m.

  “people are fed up with criminal illegal aliens sneaking across the border and killing or victimizing americans.”—c’mon Kagey having only one eye shouldn’t stop you from looking at the data.

  “While immigrants (legal and illegal) account for 35 percent of California adults, they represent just 17 percent of the state’s prisoners. Men born in the United States are incarcerated in California prisons at more than 2½ times the rate of foreign-born men. Within the age group most often involved in crime (ages 18 to 40), US natives - astonishingly - are 10 times more likely to be in prison or jail than immigrants (4.2 percent of the former are in correctional institutions, and just 0.42 percent of the latter). Even when the focus is narrowed to inmates who were born in Mexico and are not citizens - the demographic group most likely to include illegal immigrants - the rate of incarceration is only one-eighth that of men born in the United States.”

  And please note:

  “Over the last dozen or so years, the number of illegal immigrants in the United States has doubled to an estimated 12 million. Those same years saw a dramatic nationwide fall in violent crime and property crime. Similarly, the surge in illegal immigration didn’t prevent welfare caseloads from falling or millions of new jobs from being created.”

  Try not to rely solely on you ability to observe the difference between brown and white turn an isolated incident into full blown xenophobia. Its easy to scapegoat a problem. But if you wanna solve it, try to use facts.

  http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=776

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  MamaJD on May 18 at 11:26 a.m.

  My problem is with racial slurs, like “wetback,” that was posted for hours on the website. The whacked out “natural order” type opinion can be stated, and while it is an offensive point of view, I understand that someone may hold that opinion. Namecalling stereotypical race-based slurs shouldn’t be allowed and/or defended by the Coeur d’Alene Press.

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  Sisyphus on May 18 at 11:40 a.m.

  I agree with you mama. I find the Press’s tolerance of the intolerant intolerable.

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  trishgannon on May 18 at 2:01 p.m.

  Oh, Kage, I get to disagree with you again. And why do I suspect it won’t be the last time? (Just don’t do an Anymouse on us, I’d never live it down.)

  You said frustration with illegal immigration might be the source of the racist comments, but even if you’re correct, does that make it right? Of course not, as you acknowledged. And really, how does this murder have anything to do with illegal immigration, per se? I mean, there’s suspicion the shooter may be an illegal immigrant, but to think that ending illegal immigration might end senseless killings is pretty ignorant on the face of it.

  But why did you feel compelled to offer a defense to those making those comments? Do you feel you’re warning us that if we don’t address illegal immigration (in a way that satisfies those who make those comments) we’ll continue to “breed” racist sentiments among the uneducated? I mean, from what we’ve heard, this killing had nothing to do with race or immigration status, but instead had to do with a young man carrying an awful burden of rage that he was willing to take out on other people. That could be said of an awful lot of “white boys” (take a look at the statistics on school shootings, for one).

  The question, however, wasn’t whether ignorant people will make racist slurs whenever they think there’s an opportunity to do so - the question is whether a newspaper should be an allowed “public forum” for them to do so, and that answer is one I haven’t decided yet.

  The whole point in allowing commenting on stories is to engender discussion and debate, out of the belief that discussion and debate is the best path to decision-making for an (institution… government… individual) as a whole. As Blaine Stevens once told me, “I never learned anything from someone who agreed with me.” Comments tend to reflect those with strong opinions, yet there are many who read those comments without anyone ever realizing they’re there. While it does no good to preach to the choir… is it possible that seeing this racism, this response, in the flesh so to speak, is beneficial to those WITHOUT strong opinions?

  I remember making a decision many years ago to run an editorial from Vince Bertollini, though I found the content repugnant. Yet until I read what he sent, I really had no idea just how far out on the edge he was. I felt it was a service to our readers to show them just who this person was who was influencing public opinion in our area.

  We will never understand as citizens the issues concerning our fellow citizens - right OR wrong - until we know exactly what they are. So I remain conflicted on the question of moderating comments.

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  Kage_Mann on May 19 at 9:11 a.m.

  trishgannon on May 18 at 2:01 p.m.

  “Oh, Kage, I get to disagree with you again. And why do I suspect it won’t be the last time? (Just don’t do an Anymouse on us, I’d never live it down”.)

  Trish,where have you been? I’d been sparring with the unbearable one last summer and through the winter.The libs circled my wagon and I stood my ground.I’m not close to pulling an anymouse and scurrying off.I’m still here but, the unbearable one and the leader of the democrats are not.

  Sis, what you fail to realize is: every alien who sneaks across our border is a criminal.

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