# Is the media in the right or wrong for outing internet trolls? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 6, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-media-in-the-right-or-wrong-for-outing-internet-trolls/700582 "2014-10-06T20:16:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-media-in-the-right-or-wrong-for-outing-internet-trolls/700582/21 "2014-10-14T08:34:10Z")
From a visceral love of schadenfreude, there is some feeling of justice in events like this. Then I take a look at myself and feel guilty for thinking that. It’s not healthy, and basing procedure on the dark bits of the psyche is a messed up way of going about things. So let the police sort out whether it constitutes harassment, and not the media. Although I do feel that the harassment laws / social media have been slow to react to these kinds of vindictive twatbags, but have no easy solutions myself. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-media-in-the-right-or-wrong-for-outing-internet-trolls/700582/22 "2014-10-14T10:54:24Z")
People intrigued by this issue may enjoy listening to “Act 1” of episode 522 of This American Life: > **[Tarred and Feathered - This American Life](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/522/tarred-and-feathered)** > > A pedophile who has never acted on his impulses starts an online support group to help himself and others like him. It’s about anonymous trolls who hounded a guy and tried to ruin his life with unsubstantiated accusations. The trolls eventually turned out to be … well, I don’t want to ruin the story but it is well worth listening to. (And you really do have to listen in order to completely appreciate it; don’t give in to the temptation to just read a transcript.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-media-in-the-right-or-wrong-for-outing-internet-trolls/700582/23 "2014-10-14T11:45:49Z")
There is a better way to handle trolls. [Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - Kick Some Ass - YouTube](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBWbpTJRqk) ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-media-in-the-right-or-wrong-for-outing-internet-trolls/700582/24 "2014-10-14T13:29:08Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I don’t know, say that you see an elderly person with failing faculties who, everywhere (s)he goes mumbles on non-stop about negroes and Jews, complains about everything, calls everyone an idiot and a lizard, etc. So, how would You know what he/she does or doesn’t say within 1-2 feet? How would you know anything about anyone’s opinions as they live their real life or in the privacy of their own home? What special knowledge do you have (or think that you have the right to have) of what people say under their breath after they’ve been cut off in traffic, given we are all supposedly anonymous and posting anonymously to allow for honesty? Are you Actively Stalking this person on both the internet and IRL? Should you, and some of the voices conveniently acting as a Geek Chorus, be outted publicly, along with any and all of your research? Along with any and all of your methods for gathering your information? Should law enforcement be involved, if laws have been broken? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-media-in-the-right-or-wrong-for-outing-internet-trolls/700582/25 "2014-10-14T17:09:27Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > So, how would You know what he/she does or doesn’t say within 1-2 feet? How would you know anything about anyone’s opinions as they live their real life or in the privacy of their own home? > What special knowledge do you have (or think that you have the right to have) of what people say under their breath after they’ve been cut off in traffic, given we are all supposedly anonymous and posting anonymously to allow for honesty? > > Are you Actively Stalking this person on both the internet and IRL? Should you, and some of the voices conveniently acting as a Geek Chorus, be outted publicly, along with any and all of your research? > Along with any and all of your methods for gathering your information? > > Should law enforcement be involved, if laws have been broken? > Just curious. 😕 I’m not quite sure what you’re insinuating, but usually people are aware of what a person like my example is saying, because that person has relatives who try to help them and are close enough to hear them, and later talk about it to others. Last I was aware, there was no crime in talking about others, and even less crime in being told about others. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-media-in-the-right-or-wrong-for-outing-internet-trolls/700582.md?page=1)