Today, our local newspaper, The Gazette, announced that soon it will be changing their article commenting system over to facebook comments. Despite my dislike of facebook as articulated in my previous rantings, this comes as good news.
A local newspaper should not only provide sound journalism for its community, but allow the free expression of an exchange of ides within its community. A local community is responsible for making informed decisions as to where to spend its money, how to grow its economy and how to govern itself. This can best happen when the community has a voice and a forum in which to be heard.
But not at the expense of civility. The cacophony of stupidity that exemplifies the current Gazette commenting system prevents civil discourse. Those that might weigh in with cogent arguments do not want to subject themselves to the vitriol of the sheer crazies (both left and right) the Gazette has attracted. Ad hominem and straw man attacks abound, as well as racism, sexism and political intolerance. The current commenting system is an anonymous one – and one which encourages crazy.
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