With the constantly-expanding age of electronic media, print newspapers have been put in a situation that is uncomfortable at best.
When it comes to including letters to the editor in our print edition – and make no mistake, we love the interaction with readers – The Courier-Herald demands that each letter include the writer’s name and city of residence. We do our best to follow up, making sure there’s a real person behind the name.
At the same time, our online readers can comment all they want, hiding behind the anonymity that comes with posting to www.courierherald.com. Nearly every story on our website has a comment section at the bottom that acts as a digital letter to the editor. Anyone can have a voice.
Anonymous comments are frequently harsher and more personal; it’s easy when the writer can lurk, unseen, in the shadows.
Most news agencies attempt to moderate the section, but it’s a cumbersome and time-consuming task. There is also a legal liability for newsrooms that don’t constantly police the comments.
So, the entire system is about to change.
Starting Thursday, The Courier-Herald – as part of our parent company, Sound Publishing – will introduce a new comment moderation policy through Facebook. We hope to improve your experience of reading and participating at www.courierherald.com with this new way of doing business.
This should not be taken as an all-encompassing endorsement of Facebook, but at present their comment system offers the best way to ensure an environment of decorum and mutual respect amongst readers who participate in our news sites. That, we believe, is ultimately good for the newspaper and, more important, for the communities we serve.
Any logged-in Facebook user will be able to comment on our stories to encourage and reward real identity. Anonymous comments will be curtailed.
The social networking site does due diligence in making sure users are who they say they are. Yes, there are some who have multiple Facebook pages and use several aliases. No system is perfect, but Facebook offers some recourse. This system will help ferret out those people who attempt to hide behind a phony name. Online commenters will have to take ownership of their words, just like those whose letters appear as ink on paper.
We realize that not everyone has a Facebook account, but with 800 million users worldwide, we’re confident its social media net is wide enough to capture most of our readers.
If you don’t belong to Facebook, please remember you can still send a letter to the editor. We certainly don’t mind the old-fashion correspondence: letters can be mailed to 1627 Cole St. in Enumclaw, 98022. Better yet is a letter e-mailed to: letters@courierherald.com.
Today’s age offers greater opportunities than ever for readers to interact with The Courier-Herald and with each other. We’re proud to have offered that voice to the community for more than 110 years and the mission remains the same.
