I want to say I'm fine with comment sections when dealing with blogs, entertainment news, or other not so journalistic websites. However, that being said I absolutely with every fiber of my being HATE that news media outlets allow comment sections on their news bulletins on their websites. It's ridiculous and dangerous. Here you give millions of uninformed and (my opinion) quite ignorant people making assumptions and conclusions without any proper knowledge of the material they are commenting on. I find it a slap in the face while I'm reading a news article and scrolling down to see some joe's idiot comment to the likes of "well...there you go....". That's it! Did you even read the article you shmuck? This is so demeaning to our journalism culture. Being a journalist used to be something dignified and quite awesome (different from the 80's meaning of awesome...meaning awe-inspiring). But now after reading what I find a great article, I scroll down to find any links to other information and what do I see...complete asinine comments that quite frankly make no sense or include some of the worst grammar I have ever seen. By the way people READ is spelled R-E-A-D, not R-E-E-D. Allowing just anyone to comment on a news article allows the idiots to come out of the wood work.
Case in point, I was just reading a very informative article on the missing Cary woman on abcnews.com. First off, I want to say I hope this woman is found alive and returned safely to her young children. Now, let me ream the dumbest people ever. Yes, there have been 3 high profile murders lately in North Carolina (my thoughts are with those families), but that doesn't mean North Carolina is a prime murder state as so many comments would like to make. I find this dangerous because as a North Carolinian I don't appreciate someone assuming information about where I live without having first hand knowledge. Like for instance, according to statistics most serial killers are born, raised, and kill within the Mid-West. Does this mean I should never visit my in-laws who live in the Mid-West? The obvious and logical answer is NO. Another dangerous point is that the comment section takes away the authority of the author of the article. Anyone can deface the article or manipulate the words for their benefit and totally lose the author's authority on their own work. How fair is that?
I will make this short and sweet because I feel like I made my point within the first few sentences of this blog. So my advice, read the article and then move on. No need in letting other people influence your decision. Also, if you feel the need to make a comment, proofread until the cows come home!
