Guidelines for Anonymous comments

Here are the guidelines our local online paper put out around their new anonymous comments policy: Seem smart and thoughtful to me!

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We have had a strict policy since our inception that we would publish no anonymous material. The reason for that is basic: We want to encourage responsible commentary and factually correct submissions.

But in the last couple of years, several letters have come to us on topics of interest, really topics of concern, to many in the town and school district, and the authors have asked to remain anonymous. We declined to publish those letters, consistent with our policy.

We now believe that the community is less well-informed for not having had access to those thought-provoking letters. We believe there are situations where the advantages of an informed public outweigh our concerns for full disclosure of possible bias (which is one of the fundamental reasons to avoid anonymous postings).

But let’s not all disappear down a black hole with our identities cloaked. We strongly encourage commentators to use their real name or initials when posting comments. It does make for a more honest discussion. But if you deem it necessary, we will accept comments from people using pen names or simply “name withheld.” Typically, the sensitive nature of the thoughts shared is explanation enough for the request for anonymity.

It’s simple, so comment already!

The rules of engagement are simple:

1. Anyone many submit a comment at the end of an article. You need not be a subscriber. (But subscribing would be a good idea because it would make following the responses to your thoughts easier.)
2. The “post a comment” form includes a request for an email address where we can reach you. THIS WILL NOT APPEAR ON YOUR POSTING. It is for our internal use only, which can be something as simple as contacting you to check on the correct spelling of someone you mention in your comment, or suggesting your spicy language be revised a bit.
3. Your “Display Name” will be associated with all your comments on NewCastleNOW.org. We encourage commentators to use their real names or initials as their display names.
4. We will use a gatekeeper to maintain our standards of civility. We will not censor based on content.
5. We will censor personal attacks, racism, sexism, all the awful, hurtful things that sometimes slip out when people are passionate about an issue. We understand stridency, advocacy, wry commentary and dry wit, indeed, encourage it.

So, let’s see how it goes. As a community, we’re all in this together. What do you think about that??"