Below is a statement I am putting out the Associated Press regarding my stance on working with media outlets that allow for anonymous comments attached to a news story. I have researched this thoroughly, and spent a lot of time thinking about it and believe this is the right course to take. Since I make decisions in the legislature based on research and data as much as I can, it seems inconsistent to ignore it on this issue. Unfortunately, the Las Cruces Sun-News, the only daily paper in my area and KVIA TV, the El Paso TV station with the most viewership in my area, allow anonymous online commenting. However, the principle here is very important, and I think that responsible, civil dialogue is the only way to move forward for myself and the community I love. I love my community, and ran for office because I want to make it a better. The problems that confront us regarding issues like the economy, education, use of our natural resources, and whom we imprison are real and complicated. Addressing them requires us to come together and discuss solutions civilly and responsibly. Media sources play an important role in this process by informing people about these issues, and how we as public officials are working to address them. However, with the rise of internet communication, a dangerous trend has infected the way media operates; anonymous commenting. Numerous studies have been conducted on the effect of anonymous comments on the news, and the conclusions are frightening. Arthur Santana, a professor a the University of Houston, recently published a study finding that anonymity breeds irresponsible, uncivil, and racist discussion, finding anonymous comments were three times more likely to be uncivil and hateful. “In short, when anonymity was removed, civility prevailed,” he said. The problem gets worse. Research by the University of Wisconsin found that people who read comments attached to a news story “may be as influenced by the comments at the end of the story as they are by the report itself”. And a study in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication found that “exposure to uncivil blog comments can polarize” opinions of content “along the lines of religiosity and issue support.” So if relieving people of their responsibility when commenting leads them to be more negative, and those discussions are proven to poison readers’ opinions, how can it be considered responsible journalism to allow it? People advocating for issues, and the reporters working hard to cover them in a fair and comprehensive manner, should expect an opportunity to be heard in a fair and civilized manner. But the very nature of anonymous commenting erodes, or completely eliminates, this expectation. Some media outlets understand this, and have addressed the problem in different ways. The magazine Popular Science stopped all commentary, saying “If you carry out those results to their logical end--commenters shape public opinion; public opinion shapes public policy; public policy shapes how and whether and what research gets funded--you start to see why we feel compelled to hit the off switch.” Others like the Huffington Post and the Albuquerque Journal require a Facebook page to comment, while LA Times continue to allow anonymous contributions but don’t post them on the same page as the story itself. Instead, a reader has to physically click on a separate link taking them to that discussion. Unfortunately, like rubberneckers watching a car wreck, vile, negative, and polarizing anonymous commentary gets attention and many news sources continue to allow it as a way to get readership and sell advertising. As a legislator, I try very hard to make votes based on research and data. I also believe that we are better as a society when we can discuss things civilly and responsibly. Because data conclusively shows an increase in partisanship, hate, and negativity when irresponsible commenting is permitted, I find it counterproductive to participate in making the problem worse by participating in it. Therefore, until research shows this situation changing, I will not be actively engaging with any news sources that allow allow anonymous commentary included on a news story itself. Fortunately, there are still many newspapers, websites, and radio/TV stations that either disallow commentary completely or only allow it if it is attached to a real name, moderated, or separated from news itself. I look forward to engaging with them in ways to improve our communities, state, and nation in positive, intelligent, and responsible ways.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 21:18:38 +0000
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