A large slice of the Morgan Hill Times’ readership gets its
local news daily on the paper’s Web site. And a small slice of
those readers routinely post their immediate reaction to the news
in the online comments section that appears at the end of every
story, and in which anyone who visits the site can participate.
Morgan Hill
A large slice of the Morgan Hill Times’ readership gets its local news daily on the paper’s Web site. And a small slice of those readers routinely post their immediate reaction to the news in the online comments section that appears at the end of every story, and in which anyone who visits the site can participate.
Generating the most response over the weekend was a series of photographs and a caption, posted Saturday, of three local children cleaning up a fountain on Cochrane Circle that had been vandalized in January.
By Monday morning, four readers had chimed in with their take on the story. “(I)t’s nice to see some positive news. Great jobs kids,” posted “k.” “This is great. You just know these kids will grow up being a positive influence on our community,” commented “Blublazer68,” who commands a ubiquitous presence on the Times Web forums.
The children’s mother, Kristy Kessler, when contacted by telephone, was pleased to find out about this reaction.
“I had no idea people would even care,” Kessler said.
Such public forums exist all over the Web, and their purposes are manifold. Some are devoted to political discussion in an effort to influence the people in charge. Some focus on sports, entertainment and other light topics. Interactions between participants sometimes get heated, and some commenters use these forums as a venue to anonymously spew forth hatred that they would hesitate to say in face-to-face discussion.
America’s founding fathers solved the dicey problem of free speech by allowing it so long as no clear and present danger existed, but running a newspaper is different than running a country, according to Jack Bates. The executive director of the California Newspaper Publishers Association said good newspapers rely on veracity and accuracy, not readers’ unvetted claims.
“I have no objection to free speech – you can put anything out there you want, but don’t expect me to believe it,” Bates said. “But people should be aware of the credibility of what they’re reading. What (a comments section) lacks is what newspapers are good at, which is providing a very good news source.”
One frequent commenter at the Times’ Web site who posts under the handle “Facility_Dude” said via e-mail that he feels that many of those who participate do so just to get the attention of public officials whose actions and decisions are often the topic of news stories.
“(T)hat is exactly what some comment forums are devoted towards. To voice opinion either anonymously or publicly with the hopes city leaders are listening to the general public,” said Facility_Dude, who noted he personally doesn’t care if those leaders read his comments.
When asked why he comments, Facility_Dude replied simply, “I am a Morgan Hill resident and enjoy participating in conversation that expresses local views and opinions.”
Each edition of the paper features a brief selection of comments submitted to the Web site since the previous edition. The only two city officials who were available to talk on the phone about this topic said they read only the comments that are printed in the paper, and don’t visit the Times’ Web site often enough to weigh in on this segment of public feedback.
Morgan Hill City Councilwoman Marby Lee, who is not an online commenter, said she only reads the comments selected for print, and only out of “curiosity.” She said she doesn’t rely on such public forums to gauge the mood of the constituency.
“I would think if someone had an issue they wanted me to think about they would talk to me,” said Lee. “I think I’m pretty accessible, and people can get in touch with me directly.”
City Manager Ed Tewes also said he doesn’t check the Web site often. However, like Lee, he reads those that appear in the paper. In response to one that ran in October which criticized another city employee, he told the Times’ editor that the newspaper’s policy on reader responses seems “inconsistent.” Specifically, he pointed out that although letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s real name, those who post comments online may use a false name.
Law enforcement organizations often use online commentary, message boards, and other public e-forums in their investigations of certain crimes. Sgt. Jerry Neumayer of the Morgan Hill Police said the local department has read the comments on the Times’ Web site, particularly those that are posted under stories about gang-related violent crimes.
“Those comments might help us get different leads,” Neumayer said.
Some commenters clearly spend significant time on these forums.
Blueblazer68, for example, puts in his two cents everywhere he can on the Times’ Web site. He chimes in on most stories posted there, on topics ranging from complicated budget and tax issues to good deeds perpetrated by local citizens.
“There is a lot of hostility out there. The best call here is to just ride where it is safe, if there is such a thing,” he posted in response to a recent story about the death of cyclist Bruce Finch in an accident in Morgan Hill.
Blueblazer68 is a 63-year-old male who has lived in Morgan Hill for 30 years.
He offered his justification for anonymous postings. “I believe it’s a good idea not to use the real names on the site. The reason I would say this is some might be afraid of retribution,” Blueblazer68 said.
He added that he used to post under his real name, but switched to his old squadron name when another commenter targeted a threatening comment at him.
Times’ Web site administrators have said they have rarely removed posted comments, and those that have been expunged were egregiously offensive.
Regardless, newspapers cannot be held legally responsible for comments posted on Web sites they own.
“As long as you are not editing, or changing, or adding any content that someone posts, the newspaper is immune from any liability under the Communications Decency Act,” said Jim Ewert, legal counsel for the California Newspaper Publishers’ Association.
He noted, however, that the commenter can be sued or prosecuted for libelous or threatening remarks, and newspapers and Web sites can be required to hand over information about such participants if litigation or criminal charges are sought.
Facility_Dude said no offensive comments have stood out to him.
“What interests me is how some ponder over ideas when the answer is fairly simple,” he said. “In my field, ideas come naturally, quickly, and implemented within a short period of time. Regardless of budgetary constraints, there is ALWAYS a way to succeed.”
