Comments on newspaper websites

[RJDiogenes]

He'd say "To whom it may concern, Richard Saunders demands you send over more French prostitutes as soon as possible."

I can't imagine, but surely Silence Dogood might?

Ooh, saucy.

You know what they say about older women.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Another thing that is worth mentioning is that if you reveal your name, you're revealing details about your sex, religion ethnicity, country of origin, etc., which is an invitation for ad hominem attacks, some people would just read your name as part of your opinion.

I've seen enough people be target for ad hominem without mentioning anything revealing – people who expressed an opinion against bigotry, got called Muslims or homosexual, and then had their opinion ridiculed because of that, now imagine if the former happened to somebody called Mahmoud. (Once I was almost tempted to change my real name to something Arabic to troll bigots.)

 

[Miss Chicken]

^^^ In Tasmania if you used your surname and it is Mansell, Maynard or Burgess there are bigots who would dismiss your opinion because they would know that you are from an Aboriginal family. My sister had a boyfriend who was a Mansell and he had troube getting a job interview simply because of his last name. At one point he changed his surname on job applications and managed to get interviews and employment.

 

[scotpens]

I have no objection to using my real name and city when commenting on a news website, though I honestly can’t recall whether I’ve ever been required to do so. Usually my internet username or first name alone is sufficient.

. . . A conservative Toronto city councillor, Doug Ford, has said publicly that there are more libraries than Tim Hortons in his district. (Tim Hortons is a chain of coffee and donut shops) When he was criticized for his position by novelist Margaret Atwood, his reply was: Margaret who?

Shit, I’m an American and I know who Margaret Atwood is.

In Tasmania if you used your surname and it is Mansell, Maynard or Burgess there are bigots who would dismiss your opinion because they would know that you are from an Aboriginal family.

That’s interesting. Are there any people of European descent with those surnames in Tasmania, or just Aboriginals?

In the United States, a lot of blacks have surnames like Moten, Sykes, Styles and Epps, but white folks have those names too.

 

[Miss Chicken]

As far as I know all Mansells are Aboriginal - the descendants of a white sealer named Tom Mansell and the Aboriginal women he kidnapped/traded for to be his wives. I think the majority of Maynards are also Aboriginal and also descendants of a sealer.

I do believe that they are non-Aboriginal Burgesses.

There are other Aboriginal names - Everett, Brown, Thomas, Gower and Smith. The Smiths and many other Aboriginals are descendants of Fanny Cochrane Smith who was probably the last full-blooded Tasmanian (rather than Truganini being the last). However Fanny might have not be full-blooded.

However it is the Mansell and Maynard names that are most recognised with being Aboriginal.

 

[Shikarnov]

Unless they're requiring a scanned passport and thumbprint to coincide with your comment, I don't see the big deal. Just lie.

I'm Mikhail Chernigov of 1876 Sadovaya Ulica in Perm, Russia. (Not)

 

[Sheep]

That said, comments sections of news websites are truly the depths of Hell itself.

Truer words were never written.

I lose a little more faith in humanity every time I read the comments sections of pretty much ANY website, news or otherwise.

 

[FlyingLemons]

If, on newspaper websites, real people's names and addresses were associated with the things that they wrote, then we'd probably see a lot less of the rubbish that clogs up sites like Comment is Free and the Scotsman.

 

[smiki]

Having read what's been said here, I came to the conclusion that the newspaper site I read actually has a pretty nice system. You can be anonymous and use any alias you wish (which is good for people working in the public sector not having to balance their own views and the stance of who ever), BUT every comment first has to be approved by a moderator, so you don't have trolling or the like... or you can even connect your account with your Facebook account if you wish (for those who prefer Nonimity). The plus side is there is an instant new work place created (the moderators), the bad side is they could turn all censorshipy on us if they let their personal views affect their moderating.

All that said, news comment sections usually aren't the most insightful place to visit if you wish to read something smart (or at least 50% of the time).

 

[Timewalker]

My local newspaper, in it's wisdom (!?), has decided that anyone wanting to make a comment on it's website must now provide their first and last name and their suburb. They have previously only insisted on this for comments made on political topics during the lead up to elections.

Many people are upset over this. Some say that they will no longer be able to comment on subjects because of fears of losing their jobs. This is especially true of public servants who are not meant to speak out on certain subjects. However other people ar concerned that if they have to provide their names and suburbs they could be harassed by the more unstable members of society.

So I am asking people here

1) Do the online newspaper that you read allow comments under a pseudonym?

2) would you/do you leave comments if you have to use your full name?

1) Yes. However, the print version requires your real name, address, and phone number (only the name and city/town are published).

2) My local online newspaper is barely worth reading, let alone commenting. But I would use a pseudonym, since there are a lot of ignorant people who seem to be regulars.

 

[Trelane]

Dear Newspaper Website Mod/Editor,
You're an ass-hat.

Love, (The Troll Brothers) Chuck U. Farley, I.P. Freely & Dick Hertz