User-generated content can be viewed as a double-edged sword for journalists as it poses both pros and cons. While reading the articles for today one of the predominant themes that stuck out to me was the concept of anonymity with user comments.
It seems as though many audience members soliciting news media websites and posting anonymous feedback have resulted in a hotbed for malicious comments. It can be surmised that many of these comments seem to be rooted in audience members relying on anonymity to say whatever they want without fear of their physical or actual person being linked to their words.
What happens, though, when the threat of removing anonymity from these comments is a looming possibility?
|Image courtesy of http://www.examiner.com.|
Ebner notes that for years, “online readers have been able to post their views while hiding behind the cloak of anonymity” (Ebner). Accompanying these anonymous reader reactions was a lot of obscene, racist and sexist feedback. Consequently it led some news organizations, like USA Today, to reexamine how they handle responses to their content.
Arguably, this move can be seen as illustrating the media’s desire for control and filtering out select comments. The parent company for the organization, Gannett, attributes the decision to make the switch to a new format as a way to “provide a welcoming environment that encourages high-quality and relevant contributions,” according to a Gannett spokesperson (Ebner).
She also notes a drop in comment activity and also brings up the point that ghost accounts from Facebook users can still “spew just as much hate speech as anonymous commenters” (Ebner). This point that Jenkins makes illustrates that media outlets utilizing this system will still have to be diligent with filtering out comments.
For example, Jenkins makes the point that “the types of comments that editors want, such as reaction and personal experiences, are not as likely to be posted because readers may fear that their privacy is at risk” (Ebner). However, there is the benefit of receiving more direct referrals to the website if Facebook users link their comments to a personal profile page, according to Julia Thompson (Ebner).