Finally, something I can disagree with Mary Anna Towler about! Online posting differs from newspapers of record like City and the D+C. While I too loath the lack of civility in posts from mostly clueless online posters who hide behind their anonymity, banning them or making believe they don’t exist isn’t the answer.
Having ignorance exposed to the light of day may be disturbing in the short term but long term most of the trash postings and the malformed and uneducated thinking they represent won’t stand the test of time. The “alternative” to the “anything-goes approach” is nothing less than censorship for taste so some readers won’t feel disturbed to know people close to where they live harbor and in many cases covet their hatred mostly, I’m sure, for protection from the self hatred they feel about their own pitifully unfulfilling lives.
In a printed newspaper of record censorship against potentially liable statements is understandable. Online postings are not of record and should be subject, as the courts have wisely decreed, to a lesser standard. In reality online postings are a step or two down from bloated opinionated radio hosts.
We do need to be reminded of racism and hatred regularly lest we live world where ignorance is bliss. And we should also think twice before allowing our printed papers of record to fade away.
Comments for "Re: Urban Journal-Towler 5/6-Re: Online Cesspools"
City Newspaper is not responsible for the content of these comments, and they reserve the right to remove innappropriate comments at their discretion.
No comments have been posted. Be the first and add one below.
Leave A Comment
Respond on Your Blog
Create an Account
or
Login
If you have a City Account you can not only post comments, but you can also respond to articles in your own City Blog. It's just another way to make your voice heard.