Comments | Zombie Journalism

How to Set Up A Chat Using CoveritLive

Step-by-step directions for setting up a live chat between readers and panelists using CoveritLive. [...]

Facebook comments can’t guarantee a lack of anonymity

There’s a conventional wisdom out there in the online journalism world that: 1.) News site comments will automatically be better if people have to use real names, and 2.) Using Facebook for your comments will accomplish this.

I’ve said many times before that I don’t think anonymity is the problem. My campaign on that seems to be [...]

Pay-to-play commenting can eliminate trolls – and kill discussion

A Massachusetts newspaper is banning anonymous comments by charging for the privilege. This seems like overkill – and it can eliminate important discussion. [...]

If page views are the goal, keep those comments a-comin’

Would newspaper editors be likely to eliminate anonymous commenting from their websites if they knew how much it would bring down page views? [...]

An anonymous comment ban could kill the public forum

If news websites were to get rid of anonymous comments, we may be eliminating the opinions of some very valuable (and young) readers. [...]

Anonymity isn’t to blame for bad site comments, it’s a lack of staff interaction

We as an industry like to collectively wring our hands about the toxicity of online comment boards, but if we really want to improve the quality of on-site discussion we need to be willing to get involved in our sites in a hands-on manner. No amount of filters, comment-detecting robots and user-end moderation will replace the presence of a dutiful moderator. [...]

Don’t make promises about UGC you can’t keep

While the Communications Decency Act of 1996 grants media sites immunity from legal liability for user-generated content. The Barnes v. Yahoo defamation case revealed a possible loophole in that immunity that can occur if you promise to remove content – and don’t follow through. [...]

A new media how-to roundup

Here’s a collection of great tips and how-tos I’ve found lately you might find helpful if you want to break into media – or break out. Includes tips on YouTube, data mapping, UGC, training and starting your own blog. [...]

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