In a piece for InPublishing, media journalist and blogger Jon Slattery takes a look at anonymous commenting and its pros and cons for publishers.
Following the Times’ decision to make users use real names; and the Independent’s changes to its commenting system, Slattery asks the Guardian’s Steve Busfield and the Argus’ Jo Wadsworth for their thoughts.
Wadsworth says: “[S]ome of the most valuable comments, news-wise, are left anonymously: tip-offs, personal accounts of traumatic experiences, etc. If I were implementing a real-names policy, I’d definitely want to retain a way for people to post these, even if these were post-moderated.”
Slattery ends:
How do they [publishers] stop the abuse of freedom of speech on their websites while protecting those readers who can expose abuses of power and generate content by being whistleblowers only if their identity is protected.