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Editorial: About making online comments
Published Thursday, October 2, 2008
The area for comments after stories on AlbertLeaTribune.com is a place where people can share thoughts and ideas.
But there are right ways and wrong ways for public discourse.
We will remove comments that are libelous, defamatory or name-calling. We also will remove vulgar and repugnant comments.
Posts after stories are part of the spirit of community enlightenment that the Tribune wants. We like to allow people to speak their mind and even disagree, because we favor speech and dialogue, but we don’t want it to become illegal, profane or lewd speech.
Sure, you can say negative comments, but there are right ways and wrong ways. Here are some examples:
OK: John Smith is bad for Albert Lea’s image.
Not OK: John Smith was convicted of a crime and should be in jail.
OK: I wouldn’t give Mayor Daley the time of day.
Not OK: Mayor Daley is a scumbag.
OK: It’s a horrible day.
Not OK: It’s a s----y day. (In other words, even fake swearing is not allowed.)
To the people who made negative comments about “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Larson Contracting, or others who are donating time and labor to this great cause, it’s rather unfathomable that people find negative aspects to it all. We are frankly disappointed.
Let’s clear up some basics:
♦ Makeover winner Dirk DeVries is not related to Larson Contracting President Lynn DeVries. It’s just a common name.
♦ People are donating their time. It does not mean they are going without their usual paychecks.
♦ Yes, probably the only thing Larson Contracting and other partners are getting out of all this is publicity. But publicity happens when a national TV show comes to your town. It’s unavoidable. But these folks aren’t doing this for publicity. It’s about helping the DeVrieses and showing the nation what a great place Freeborn County is.
These donors have bent over backward. If people feel the need to vent, do so toward the Tribune. We have big shoulders. Leave the local givers alone.
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Comments
Posted by metisman (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 10:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Habitat for Humanity deserve equal, if not more, publicity, imho.
Posted by sunflower (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Excellent. Thank you for addressing the negative comments. Why can't we agree to disagree without being cruel? Postive comments and postive cricism are listened to and are more effective at changing peoples minds and hearts then derogatory comments.
Posted by controlledhyperness (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 11:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank you for this editorial! Hopefully it will clear alot of "misunderstanding" that was on the comment section yesterday.
Metisman...I wholeheartedly agree with you that Habitat SHOULD get some publicity, but I know from experience that they DO when they are building. I also know that if it weren't for the many volunteers that help out with any given Habitat project,things would not move as quickly, so in that sense, they too should get their time to shine as it were. If it weren't for the volunteers, sometimes things would not get done as fast as they do...in that sense I liken the Extreme Home Makeover project to Habitat. While it is a TV show, it is working wholely (or appears to be) off of the volunteer time and donations of those here in the community. Kudos to ALL involved with this project, including the Trib for covering everything dealing with it :)
Posted by katet (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 11:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank You!
Posted by jeshuaerickson (Jeshua Erickson) on October 2, 2008 at 12:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Super editorial. It's great to have an open forum, and I think most people know how to comment in a way that is constructive. If they have negative things to say, they can often find ways of saying those things that aren't libelous, name-calling, or defamatory. Though there are a few who do name calling, I think most folks know or have learned that people listen to them a lot more when they think carefully about what they want to say before they hit "submit."
The way I see it, our comments should be the same sort of comments we'd want to read in front of a large group of elementary, junior high or high school kids. If not, we probably shouldn't post them.
Posted by rdubb (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 12:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I completely agree with the comments about Habitat For Humanity and other great volunteer activities. It's great that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition brings this kind of excitement about community activism to town. But what about when TV's bright lights are gone?
Call me a negative skeptic, but it has to make you wonder why there are so many people so gung ho about this project. Is it the community service aspect or the chance to be on TV for a milli-second?
We could accomplish things like this year round. Maybe not on this grand of scale, but it could happen.
Posted by jeshuaerickson (Jeshua Erickson) on October 2, 2008 at 1:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe folks who help with this project will realize how cool it is---beyond the fact that cameras are rolling everywhere. When I did Habitat for Humanity as a teenager and as a college student, I was surprised how rewarding it was. This whole discussion is making me think that I'd like to get involved with Habitat for Humanity again.
Posted by menace56 (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thumbs Up!!!
Posted by time2share (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 3:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This editorial is the greatest...Thanks...I've gotta say this is the classiest group of comments I have seen since the opinion option was added. Keep up the good work everyone..
Posted by jack_hansen (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 3:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
red crayons taste better than blue crayons...in my opinion
Posted by wingo (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 3:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I personally think the comments part of the paper is great, but like the editoral said, there are ways to say things. It's not what you say, it's HOW you say it. Not everyone agrees, but be polite and considerate about it.
Posted by bobbyg (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 5:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Has anyone ever heard the phrases;
"Don't burn your bridges"?
Or maybe this one... "What goes around, comes around"?
The point is, someone knows who you are, and if you're one of the culprits that insist on being negative, someday you'll get your, "come-up-ins"!
Enough said!
Thank you Tribune for the great forum!
BG
Posted by allake (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 7:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Habitat for Humanity is a good thing, but I think people support them out of the goodness of their heart and not about the press. I don't understand people complaining the Habitat for Humanity does not get the press. I don't think draw the national TV ratings.
Posted by trifid (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 7:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why did it take a sensational television show for Freeborn County residents to suddenly become so "empathetic" towards the DeVries and others needing help?
It's laughable and depressing.
Posted by Truth (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 9 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Have you ever noticed that if you disagree with the paper or someones point you are negative. The paper should have thought of that before asking people who they would vote for. As long as you agree with the paper or the story or with what the city does than you are a positive person. Stand up for what you think is right than you are negative. Sometimes the world is not grey. Sometimes it is just black and white.
Posted by wingo (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 9:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Truth,
I myself don't think that is what they meant. It's not that is person disagrees, it's the language they use when they do it. It would be a boring world if we all agreed with each other, we just have to use common sense and think of others feelings when we do our posts. Anyway that's my opinion.
Posted by trifid (anonymous) on October 2, 2008 at 10:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"But these folks aren’t doing this for publicity."
Untrue. A similar statement "But these folks aren't doing this primarily for publicity" is closer to the truth.
Posted by seventyone (anonymous) on October 3, 2008 at 6:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with you trifid, "but these folks aren't doing this primarily for publicity," I know alot of the people that work at Larson Contracting, and I believe that alot of them would volunteer their time even if they weren't working for Al Larson. There are alot of great people in this community and it always seems that if something needs to get done they all pull together to get it done, publicity or not. You will always have the people that will only do something if they get something in return,(National Recongnition) and that is very sad
Posted by demo1960 (anonymous) on October 3, 2008 at 4:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would much rather our community have this kind of publicity than the attention it is getting for the Good Samaritan situation. It sounds like they make it really fun for the volunteers. I wish I could but I am so busy fixing my own house, but if I wasn't busy doing that I sure would like to volunteer.
Posted by trifid (anonymous) on October 8, 2008 at 12:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
seventyone,
My point is this: if you or I or someone else in the community had traveled around the county trying to get volunteers to build a house we would have been laughed out of the county.
Some of the same people who attack the media are the same ones who are entranced by their clever money making makeover television shows, which is media.
And, gosh darn it, being Minnesota Nice(unemotional) is more important than solving problems?
Good manners have their place. But courtesies seldom set people free from their masters.
Posted by Folkgirl (anonymous) on October 21, 2008 at 8:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Interesting that you chose the name of someone actually running for mayor locally, who is, just for the record, not a scumbag. I'm guessing you must have meant Mayor Quimby from television program, The Simpsons, because, if you did mean Dustin Quimby, I think that would fall under "libelous"...
I actually got a chuckle out of this editorial since I live in the Twin Cities and most of my online news reading is done on the Star Tribune website. I couldn't even imagine the field day folks would have with being asked to clean up their comments - the editors would have to hire extra staff in order to contain the chaos that would quickly ensue!
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