This weekend, we received dozens of emails from students concerned about the anonymity of reader comments on The Dartmouth's website. The campaign stated that these comments encourage "extreme, reckless, even hateful responses" and urged editors to reconsider the current policy. Just as we require column submissions and letters to the editor to be signed, students said, we should ask the same of our online readers.
The issues raised are not new to us, and we have actively worked to address these concerns. For months we have been working on a new website, and one of the many changes introduced will be a new commenting system. We are aware that anonymity encourages a lack of accountability for our words, and, in light of the recent campus turmoil, the forum on our website has become a significant point of contention. We ask for your trust and patience as we continue to gather community input in this process, and we greatly look forward to the launch of the new website by the end of this term.
Our new website will integrate Disqus, a popular commenting platform. It will allow users to vote up and down on comments, and respond directly to each other through threads. It will also require a login, through Facebook, Twitter, Gmail or a Disqus account. We believe this system will improve the quality of discussion and hold users more responsible for their comments. However, some may choose to use fake emails, and others may opt for a fake display name. It is important to acknowledge that some commenters will slip through, though we will make every effort to combat this possibility.
Meanwhile, we will continue to carefully moderate comments online. Our policy, as is clearly outlined on our website, states that we prohibit comments that are off-topic or contain vulgarity, inappropriate language or ad hominem attacks. Nor do we allow those that threaten members of the community. We do not censor comments unless they violate this policy, and we always approve comments that suggest corrections. We are committed to creating a constructive dialogue around campus issues, and that does not stop with our news coverage.
We always encourage feedback from you, our peers and fellow students. If you believe that we have published a factual error, let us know, and we are always happy to correct it. If you have any concerns, whether it is regarding a comment or article, blitz me, or write a letter to the editor. We welcome your responses, as well as your criticism, as we continue to cover the events and debates that shape this campus.
*Jenny Che '14 is the editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth.*
