Monday, December 12, 2011

The Facebook blob absorbs the Clarion-Ledger

After lecturing us on why internet sales taxes are a good thing, Clarion-Ledger Editorial Director David Hampton then climbed even higher onto the moral Mount Olympus to proclaim our liberation from online anonymous commenting at the newspaper. You see, the Clarion-Ledger now allows only Facebook users to comment:

"Last week, clarionledger. com went to a system that is designed to bring more civility, raise the level of debate and send those who simply want to be mean and tacky somewhere else to not play well with others.

We now are using Facebook, the largest social network, for comments. This will allow anyone currently logged into Facebook to leave a comment on an article using their Facebook account. Also users can choose to have the comment appear on their personal Facebook page if they would like. Readers will be able to read any comments, but to comment will have to use a Facebook account. It's easy to create.

The reason this is a major improvement is because it will end, or greatly so, anonymous comments.

I have never liked anonymous comments. We don't allow it in our letters to the editor and should not on the website. Everyone should be willing to stand behind what he or she says. Personally, I do not put stock in anonymous comments."

Of course, the Jackson Free Press chimed in recently on this subject as well in an essay written by Valerie Wells. Y'all Politics made a similar move earlier this year as well. Seems to be the trend in online commenting.

Well, let me assure you of one thing: It will not happen here. I understand why the Clarion-Ledger made the switch as their comments were atrocious and filled with vitriol. They needed to make a change and this is the path they chose. However, I think the Facebook premise is a false one. Unless you are going to do true identification verification, its too easy for a troll to create a phony FB account and voila, he is now commenting to his heart's content on the Clarion-Ledger. Just takes a few minutes to create a Gmail or Yahoo account and then go create a Facebook account. You're now in the system.

I'm also opposed to changing the policy here for other reasons. I believe in free speech. Really believe in it. If I have to make a mistake, its on the side of free speech. What matters is not who made the comment but the comment itself. Readers of this site get a great deal of very good information from anonymous commentors that would not be published if they had to identify themselves. If the information is false or slanderous, its either not allowed or is refuted. Sometimes I will allow false comments to go up because I know similar rumors are out there. If you notice, those comments are quickly refuted as I use them as an opportunity to knock them down. Then there is the fact that controversy and food fights tend to drive traffic. Just breaks my heart to see that happen.

However, there is one major speed bump to comments and it works better than any Facebook policy: ME. I approve all comments. I see most of them before they go up on this site as there are a few commentors such as StilettoGOP who are exempted from moderation. There is no hard rule for a comment getting zapped other than slander. Slander will get you zapped every time. Sometimes the comment depends on the post itself. I've let readers in football threads go at it a little bit more than I would on a thread about the Federal Reserve. Sometimes, as in the Karen Irby case, I will let everyone explode and vent because I know they need to get it out of their system and then go back after awhile and do clean-up duty. Racist comments are almost certainly get zapped although sometimes I will leave them up there just to show everyone how some people think and expose them to ridicule. Slander and libel are won't make it up here as well. Yes, mistakes are made and some comments slip through but when pointed out, they come down.

The truth is most comments that aren't approved are usually fine but for one or two sentences. If I don't approve one, the commentor is more than free to send me an email asking the reason. I've responded to everyone asking such a question. Having said all that, the policy will remain the same: anonymous commenting is alive and well at Jackson Jambalaya. The only recommendation I make is that readers start using screen names as they make comments easier to follow.

None of this, of course, applies to Shadowfax.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The US constitution's First Amendment rights only cover Americans, but I believe that in a democracy the competition of ideas and free speech should combat beliefs that it does not agree with - more speech and debate, not censorship."
Joichi Ito

Anonymous said...

Continuing their relentless march to total irrelevancy.

KaptKangaroo said...

Of course.

KaptKangaroo said...

I think the biggest commentary is the filth and vitriol was allowed for some time at the online locations that now require a FB login.

In my observation, those who have to go to a FB type of moderation are too lazy to monitor comments in the first place with a live human being. I've been there when you were moderating the comments and can say it is a tremendous amount of work. Especially with the phone buzzing, second after second after second.

Additionally, their readership must be prone to some pretty awful statements to have to go to these extreme measures. It would appear that JJ once again sets the bar for comment freedom vs. censorship!

Anonymous said...

So does this mean we will eventually see the comments submitted on Sunday the 11th here?

Anonymous said...

Very intriguing - the C-L ran a story on Phil Bryant's transition plans Sunday. This morning there was a pleasant comment by a supporter of Bryant's opponent followed by a very nasty, slightly unhinged/deranged attack on the first commenter from someone at Alcorn State (I think named Brenda Scott, who may or may not be a local union organizer), and a third comment.

Now only the third comment remains, with no indication of what happened to the first two. The first one merely wished Bryant well, so I am totally baffled why that one would have been yanked by the censors at the C-L.

Anonymous said...

Call me cynical, but there is a major upside to this from the CL's point of view: no more annon missives calling them out on the sloppy reporting. I guess my days of posting KF links directing folks to the rest of the story are over.

Anonymous said...

If I couldn't remain anonymous...I would not comment. I do not post to be mean, tacky, or uncivil. In fact, I rarely post.

For me, it is a non-negotiable issue of privacy.

mycroft said...

You're comfortable with someone having the censor's button as long as it's you, then.

I've got no problem with that...it's your sight. You don't owe people to make it a forum for any blather. But if you were the size of the C-L, could one person in their spare time, do that moderation? And if they were picking and choosing to guide the flow of discussion, as you say you do (again, a policy with which I have no problem), it seems to me like this blog might lampoon them for that.

Their Facebook solution is not one I'm crazy about, but it seems like it might be their best of the options once they've decided not to have it be a free-for-all.

I do admire the chutzpah it takes to declare your loyalty to freedom of speech in the same post that you talk about how you decide which comments to allow, and right on the heels of calling out the C-L for "hypocrisy" with regard to the sales tax.

Sounds like I'm ragging you, I know, but I don't think I am. That's the kind of stuff I read this blog for. If you don't make me nod in agreement or shake my head in anger once a week, I'd probably get bored and stop checking it.

Paul Mitchell said...

The CL allows John Mayo to write for their paper. Need we say more?

Anonymous said...

&##$&%&*&#$@$%&$**&%@$%$^@&!!!!!!!!

There I said it!!

Signed
Anonymous

Anonymous said...

Typical statement the paper has issued concerning their improvement.

The moderation that you do requires skills and knowledge that no employee at any newspaper has anymore.

Who wastes the time to correct the nonsense and lies that sites like the CL tolerated? Most of the reporters would have difficulty figuring out which comments are false.

Anonymous said...

Well...you can have a fake facebook page folks....its not that hard to do...

Shadowfax said...

Kangaroo's suckups notwithstanding, Hampton has lied through his teeth when he proclaimed that articles written by Ledger staff are always credited to one person. He knows better. Many of them are merely unsigned editorials and others have names attached but are either ghost written or are miracles concocted at midnight by a group of tokers, at best.

Who gives a shit what names appear appended to posts on Hampton's dying, cyber Ledger pages. He'll see a decided lack of interest at best. But, since there's nobody to terminate his employment for stupid decisions (like most real jobs in America) he's free to start yet another social experiment.

Nuff2Say said...

The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

But you must have a Facebook account to use it!!!

Whatever happened to to journalists in protecting their confidential sources from discovery. Sometimes people who "speak out on these blogs" work for the people they are speaking against and if you now publish their info well you are gonna loose those people.

KF I am glad you wont be doing that anytime soon!!!

gvillesux said...

well, it looks like i will have to create a fake FB account in order to post to CL. i use anonymous posting because MY comments are MY opinion, but when i post about government related stuff that concerns my area of the state it could have an adverse affect on my job and certain contracts we hold if they know who said it!

Anonymous said...

The Clarion Ledger for years has had editorials that you had no idea who wrote . I pointed this out to the pompous one and possibly there are more actual names on editorials now but not all. I find it ironic that they demand to know the name rank and serial number of anyone who writes a letter but as for the editors of c l they have been able to hide behind their verbiage whenever it suited them . I noted the sun herald on the coast use to have a great column running all down the page called Sound Off where people did not give a name. Talk about some interesting honest comments. People just will not speak out often if they have to put their name on something . As Kingfish says it's about the comment not the speaker.

Shadowfax said...

Not so sure about your assessment K'Roo. He deletes over fifty percent of my comments here. What's the difference in that and Hampton?

Kingfish said...

Mycroft, I don't zap posts for viewpoints or actual opinions. Its usually for fowl language, personal insults, defamation, and unsubstantiated information that could get me in trouble or subjected to a lawsuit. 90% of the zapped comments only have one or two offending sentences. I've had some that were great long comments, made great points, then at the closing sentence they went way over the line. Whenver someone has sent me an email asking me why no approval, I reply.

None of this applies to Shadowfax.

Anonymous said...

Shadowfax is SUCH a nerd.

Anonymous said...

KF: why would your artsy policy not apply to Shadowfax? Sounds like you completed the Donna Ladd course in censorship.

Anonymous said...

I know Shadowfax. And if you knew Shadowfax, you would not say Shadowfax is such a nerd. A nerd is an anon poster like 6:08 who stands under the bleachers and shoots spitballs while giggling at himself.

Anonymous said...

"Mycroft, I don't zap posts for viewpoints or actual opinions. Its usually for fowl language, "

Yes, I've seen several comments here where someone is called "chicken" or "a turkey" ;-)

Anonymous said...

2:03 - you took the words right out of my mouth......

Anonymous said...

You Ducking Finch!



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Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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