This article mentions Progressive sites closing comments.
So far CNN, The Verge, Daily Beast, and Bustle are among dozens of sites that have closed comment sections. Many consider comment sections vile:
Do Conservative sites also close their comment sections?
Your quote seems to offer a solid answer to the question posed in your subject line. The comments submitted to news articles (and lots of other places, like YouTube videos serve as a peurile outlet for the posters, but they are a complete waste of everyone else’s time. If you’ve never read the comments below a news article, try it sometime; you’ll develop a dim view of humanity.
If I had never read comments below a new articles, then what happened to several thousand hours of my time since 2008?
From the article:
They are closing the comments for the same reason that carnivals have closed their side shows: sure, it might attract some traffic, but only the lowest and most ignorant.
But seriously, for every thoughtful and insightful discussion of facts, opinions, and social policy, some intern is wasting a lot of hours wading through “‘Barry HUSSEIN Obummer’ der her amirite?” or “hash tag Anonymous let’s kill the oligarchs”, trying to avoid the legal and financial exposure if some schmuck actually manages to organize something more dangerous than a virtual circle jerk of like-minded idiots. Or at least that’s my assumption.
Comments range from pathetic idiocy to scary, nasty, vile awful sociopathy. Moderating them would take a lot of people a lot time ($).
They generally serve no use.
One good use is for corrections. Articles are wrong a lot and it would be handy to have a place where those would go. Except, who would vet them, etc.?
Another reason is that most sites are giving up on having their own little social network thing. People are just moving to Facebook and such. Go to the Facebook page for the news site, flame all you want. It’s not the news site’s problem now, it’s Facebook’s. (I.e., no one’s.)
Comments sections on news sites of any type are pretty much worthless unless well-moderated. Most news outlets don’t have the money to pay moderators, so closing them down is the next best thing.
News comment sections.
Nowhere in the galaxy will you find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
We must be on guard.
The article is from Breitbart, which itself offers discourse little better than the Youtube comment section.
As long as Social Media giants still allow Free Speech, the crimes of Political Incorrectness and Aggravated Political Incorrectness are tolerated. For how long?
Like all lovers of democracy, they prefer it quiet and respectful, as in their fond imaginings rather than as it is in horrid reality.
Plus it should be desperate to be guided by wise teachers such as themselves.
To see for myself, I went on the Fox News website and looked at their lead story,
GAY MARRIAGE CHALLENGE
Ala. judge defies Supreme Court, orders halt to same-sex licenses
Comments were coming pretty quickly. I copied a bunch that came during a 4-minute period.
Worse then regular Social Media like Twitter?
I’m still trying to comprehend the fact that someone out there thinks CNN is a progressive site.
But yeah, the comments section of news sites is just pointless.
Would it be possible for hackers to use comments to either insert malicious code or to at least see where the database for users lies in the website’s server or something along those lines?
Absolutely not.
Only if their web team really, really sucks at their jobs.
It would be possible, if the code for the comments section was written by amateurs. It’s not hard to prevent, though, if you know what you’re doing.
My guess would be that news companies are uncomfortable with the comment section because sometimes the comments can end up being about how crappy and inaccurate an article is, as well as the poor quality of the writing - among other things.
Political correctness is everything now. Way more important than facts.