Online comments on news stories: a problem for everyone

Never read the comment section.

It's something you'll hear journalists repeat time and time again in newsrooms across the country. The commentscan befull of hate, anger,rage, and mean-spirited vitriol. So we stay away ...for the most part.

But recently, since I've been working on CBC'sSyrian refugee project, I suddenly had families who, put off by the comments on our website, wouldn't even talk to me.

And so I dove in.

• Finding refuge: Syrian arrivals prepare for a new life

On a CBC News story about a Syrian family arriving in Canada to a warm welcome, "Mad as Hell" wrote, "Wonder which gang they will join? Vietnamese, East Indian orSomalian? Or will they just start their own crime ring, regardless it's going to be messy."

On a story abouta 12-year-old Vancouver boy who wanted tobuy mittensfor refugees,"AntiTourismBC" commented, "Too bad he didn't help one of our OWN homeless... this is pathetic."

There's also misinformation being shared across social media when it comes to refugees.

Take for example, the duel onFacebookovera claimthatrefugees receive more money than Canadian pensioners. The original postwas shared more than 37,000 times and then debunked.

A widespread problem

Sadly, the problem with these types of comments isn't new and it's not limited to a single media outlet.

Last month, the Toronto Star shut down all commenting on itswebsite, stating thatinstead,it wouldbe "promoting and showcasing the comments our readers share across social media and in their letters and emails to our editors."

In November, CBC News took the extraordinary step of temporarily shutting down all comments on stories of indigenous people.

Brodie Fenlon, acting director of digital news at CBC, admits, "It's a very complicated issue."

"There are a number of stories where we're having a large number of comments violating our guidelines."Those guidelines include hate speech and personal attacks.

"You can't libel someone.You can't personally attack someone.We don't allow hate speech;we don't allow you to say something that would hold a person or group of people in contempt based on their race or gender or religion."

Fenlon said some comments go live when they areposted, others are flagged by audience members and then reviewed by a third party moderating company the CBC works with.

"We havemoderationbeing done by humans who themselves make mistakes. Your interpretation of what is hate, may be slightly different than my interpretation," he said.

'Where is that line?'

"To be quite frank, it's even hard for us internally to decide, 'Where is that line?'Because that line can be grey. Where does somebody who doesn't understand the issues, who'signorant, who'sshelteredwhere does their view become an attack on a group or hatred?"

Fenlonsaid aplan to deal with problematic comment sections on CBC storieswill be revealed in the coming weeks.

"We may have a different type of commenting ... without a doubt we will have engagement;we will have a space where Canadians can be heard and where views can be reflected from across the spectrum of opinion.That's really important to us."

But whatever form that takes,will it lead toincreased civility in online discourse?

Greg Barber is the director of digital projects at the Washington Post and head of strategy and partnerships at the Coral project,an initiative to help news organizations build better online communities aroundcomment sections.

Barber said studies show when people engage in the comments, whether it's reporters or editors,the level of civility in the conversation increases.

"It's [about]creating an incentive structure that then gets the kind of content we want," said Barber.

"Ithink some users come in, see the tenor of the conversation, and participate in that waythinking they're not really doinganythingwrong. By showing users 'Well no, this is actually what we're looking for in this space, can you contribute in this way, and if you do, your comments have a chance of beinghighlighted,'we have the potential to change that conversation."

Barber believes shutting downcomment sections completely is not the answer, especiallysince journalists sometimes get tips and story ideas from audience members there.

"I thinknews organizations need to askwhat's the best kind of interactivity to have here?"

Sometimes that answer may go beyond just a blank space at the bottom of the page, where trolls sometimeslurk.