Post Public Comments? Yes!

For Article: Journos: Do You Post Public Comments? Why/Why Not?
Posted by Jane Abao 6/3/2008 9:12:05 PM

I engage in public conversation online regularly mostly on concerns in the field of communication. I feel that when I read something or come to know of something that needs to be corrected, or interacted with, I do not refuse to comment. It is an obligation I set upon myself as someone educated in journalism and communication. I believe that every communicator must be responsible and that includes holding onto any form of business that deals with public communication.

I am very transparent in the fact that I use my legal name as much as possible. It is part of building credibility. I even use my own pictures. I am not afraid of enemies or people who oppose my beliefs. It is the same philosophy I teach my students.

Because of my transparency, it has somehow affected my journalism. People incognito with usernames attack me about anything if they oppose my ideas and beliefs. How do I get to fight with Working Girl, for example? What is her legal name and who is she? And yet she deigns to teach me how I should be operating on a news site as editor. She preferred that I post positives about the country for tourists to read, while I preferred posting about the corruption going on. But what does she know about journalism?

How about THE TRUTH and Meeker? These are just usernames that can change from time to time. We can never know anything about them, their credibility in what they say, and yet they can attack you, accuse you of anything. With what they say, the crawler can pick them up and place them on the web. Pronto! That’s a reality added to your metadata. Then when somebody Googles you up and read those parts, don’t expect that people’s beliefs about you have not changed a bit.

There is a way to fight this, however. Holding on to truth and taking care of your credibility over the years can work for you during times that you need them most. Then you can afford to ignore the trolls that come your way and trouble you.