White Plains CitizeNetReporter - End Anonymous Postings Reader Advises

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VOICE. August 25, 2004: A Reader responds thoughtfully to the reckless posting ruckus, raises good points without using four-letter words, sexual innuendo or resorting to name calling, and makes a suggestion:

John,

I agree with you that both the tone and content of the anonymous postings had turned ugly and I think that you are right to want to change that. I also agree with your concern about the potential liability aspects of many of these unseemly comments.

You have set this up as a news website with your name and picture on it. You have every right for whatever reason you chose to limit the manner of responses to your stories. If some readers want to set up their own "blog" site with instantaneous, anonymous postings of the surreal, the sublime or the scandalous, or just to set up a place where they can -- as some claim to want to -- vent their spleen over various City happenings, they are free to do so.

However, I disagree with your proposed manner of raising the level of discourse and your stated goal (which clearly are at odds with each other) of preserving anonymous postings. Casting yourself in the role of arbiter for taste and yet permitting anonymous postings are incompatible with long established news publishing principles. Look at the letters to the editor of newspapers all over this country. Putting aside the issues of length and posting frequency (which you need not worry about), the newspaper editors only screen for libel and verify the authenticity of the person who wrote the letter. The content of the letter is up to the writer.

The most effective, self executing device that invariably increases the tone and sharpens the point of letters is the fact that whoever writes it must bare their name for all to see and put their "money where their mouth" is. A policy of anonymous postings only serves to encourage irresponsibility, reckless invective and, far too often, cowardice. Ultimately, these postings will always spiral downward into the mess that you saw recently.

Want to criticize the Mayor or any Council member -- put your name on it and take responsibility for your words. If the comments are not obviously or outright libelous (feel free to screen that out), let that person face the heat -- from legal action to just a cold shoulder in the street -- from the object of the criticism or just anyone who disagrees.

Did you ever notice the tone and content of any comment posted on you website with a name attached to it? Compare to the anonymous postings -- it is like night and day.

Let the tone and content of the postings match (or maybe just stay reasonably close to) your mission to educate and inform our citizens (and encourage healthy debate on) the issues in this City. Let your site be the "Hyde Park" of our City, where all can come to speak their mind in front of each other in the daylight, and not hide and snipe in the shadows. Do as the newspapers do and require people to put their name on the responses, or at the very least, require a valid e-mail address before accepting any comments.

Those that are afraid or ashamed to put their name on their comments can start their own website.

Stay high class -- end the anonymous postings.

Tim Sheehan


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