During a round table on Journalism and New Technology held last week in Cáceres, coinciding with the Book Fair this city, one attendee asked the speakers, which I was, their views on Internet comments on news writing and if it exercised some control over its content prior .
Obviously, all the journalists present agreed on the value of comments, both for their contribution to enrich any debate when, for what they represent as a tool to promote freedom of expression readers its interaction with the media. Similarly, everyone seemed to agree to appreciate what they have information thermometer comments because, obviously, are a clear enough sample of interest aroused by the news: a greater interest, greater number of views. So far, so good.
Yet another of those attending the round table, in this case a local political office, complained that local media had appeared a few comments, not appreciating his work as a politician but attacking personally and into the category of insult. "What do the media in this type situations?, did not exist prior control filters or content of those comments? "he asked.
Beyond this specific case, which highlighted the issue is the difficulty of digital media to conduct a thorough survey of the comments. Clearly, there is the option to not allow them, but it is something that goes against not only the possibility of publishing, but of the very spirit of the Internet and freedom of expression.
Therefore, unless very specific cases, what it is to create filters technical language, so that, for example, own software detected the swearing, or, what is more accurate, that someone is engaged in reviewing the comments, which a priori is presented as the ideal solution but in practice it is virtually impossible, since the volume of comments that may generate a digital medium is huge.
What then? Well, of course, a mix of everything. Refine linguistic filters to prevent certain words clearly identifiable as insults and then try to keep track of these comments. Similarly, whenever someone feels injured by a comment and ask for its withdrawal to the environment because do so as quickly as possible.
There are other ways to choose not to "hang up" the comments until they have been reviewed by someone who can decide whether or not to publish, based on their content. This possibility, although more reliable, but not one hundred percent, "also remains cool to the interactivity of the Internet and check back to many Internet users when sending a comment, since most readers want to see it published immediately.
Apart from all these possible solutions, it remains to make a toast to the sun and ask readers not to use the option to insert comments in the news for personal insult and anonymous for disqualification or to give vent to strife, since all it does nothing but detract from the tool that interests both internet users. In addition, it should be remembered that almost everything you do online leaves a trace and that there is total anonymity.
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