On the heels of this site being protected from the dumb things commenters write anonymously on the Internet comes another piece of news that may make some take pause. A judge is set to order the (New York) Journal News to fork over the identity of three anonymous posters. Three folks used nicknames to attack a former congressman and his wife. The couple went after the newspaper, saying they had to know who made the comments to file defamation suits. A judge agreed, and the paper will have to fork over identifying information.
I’ve been watching with great interest how some news sites are getting into the comments business. While I thought it was such a smart idea a year ago – now I’m not as sure. A particular news site I watch has turned into a cesspool – with attacks, slander, inane and off-topic comments – and very little that contributes to public discourse. There has to be a better way to engage community.
