Detroit Free Press now using comments from Facebook

[CityGirl]

Your boss could read an opinion they didn't like on the editorial page

....if your boss read the editorials that day. Unlike today, where a simple search of your name brings up nearly all of your internet history.

[1953]

I never setup an account on the Freep website because the comment were disgusting. One gets tired of the "Drew you suck or Rochelle why you still have a job" comments. Most of the comments were garbage. I am glad that the Freep wanted to rid its site of the racist Detroit-hating visitors.

Seriously, though, Rochelle Riley needs to get fired and quickly.

[firstandten]

Seriously, though, Rochelle Riley needs to get fired and quickly.

Why do you feel that way ?

[Dexlin]

You mean beyond the fact that she's a mediocre writer on her best day? Let's see,she can be incredibly judgemental and over dramatic for no real reason, she uses lots of words and lots of "big" words without the result of saying much of anything at all...really, I could go on. Whether her heart is in the right place or not is irrelevant. She's a columnist for one of the larger daily newspapers in the country, when she should probably be a blogger, at best. And, seeing how newspapers are going, these days, she may end up one. To be fair, most columnists at the two dailies aren't any good, but you asked about Ms. Riley.

[firstandten]

You mean beyond the fact that she's a mediocre writer on her best day? Let's see,she can be incredibly judgemental and over dramatic for no real reason, she uses lots of words and lots of "big" words without the result of saying much of anything at all...really, I could go on. Whether her heart is in the right place or not is irrelevant. She's a columnist for one of the larger daily newspapers in the country, when she should probably be a blogger, at best. And, seeing how newspapers are going, these days, she may end up one. To be fair, most columnists at the two dailies aren't any good, but you asked about Ms. Riley.

You also described Mitch Albom and he is about as big as they get. Evidently she has gained a following, and at the end of the day isn't that whats it all about ? Not the writing style, or the big words or even being a drama queen.

[Zacha341]

ROTFL! Yeah, I've seen the most crass ridiculous face book accounts out there, especially working with teens. I can only hope they ditch the photos and comments of the 'folks' on their wall as they mature. Or not. Some grown folks carry on too and that cool so long as there as attempt of anonymity I suppose.

A professional profile is hard to retain online. And some employees google names, it's too easy to do... Once mess about you is online it's hard to remove. Even a search for certain photos will brand those photos to you when someone googles your name and clicks 'images'. Then you've got a 'google' problem. LOL!

But at least when you get passed over for that promotion, when your resume goes unanswered, when your relatives stop sending Xmas cards; at least you'll now know the reason why.

It wasn't your hygiene, it was your FB comments.

[Patrick]

Wow, I thought having FB comments would clean up the commentary, but it has only made it worse. The thing is...people aren't afraid to spout off and say assholish things even with their name and location displayed to the world.

[Zacha341]

Well the crassness exhibited on some people FB profiles would not stop there I suppose. Still I don't like that you have to be a 'FB'er' to comment. Oh well... I'm done with commenting there...

Wow, I thought having FB comments would clean up the commentary, but it has only made it worse. The thing is...people aren't afraid to spout off and say assholish things even with their name and location displayed to the world.

[English]

I love the new policy, but then, I'm an avid Facebooker. I find the Freep comments useful for the first time ever.

I know some people thought that, well, the nastiness will just go underground. We need to know what people are thinking behind their polite [[or not-so-polite) facades. But er... um... it's not a huge surprise that certain kinds of news stories will draw out trollish behavior. The issue is that as more of our interaction shifts online, it's important to draw distinctions between a public and a private sphere.

I will defend people's right to have freedom of speech all day long. But you can't say what you like, wherever you like -- that's neither Constitutionally protected, nor the mark of maturity. So yes, troll all you like about how Black people are dumb criminals, White suburbanites all wear hoods, and everyone from the Middle East is only here to blow things up... ON YOUR OWN LOCKED FORUM, to likeminded people who actually care. On the newspapers of record for YOUR metropolis? ACT AS IF YOU HAVE GOOD SENSE. Sheesh.

Kudos to Gannett for this move.

[Zacha341]

Well for sure some of the resident regular cranks and white supremacy trolls have had to regroup until the get their Facebook profiles ready to sprout and troll some more. Some may move on to other areas not requiring the use of a FB account.

I've noted in a few comment sections on fox2 that a Facebook 'commenter' will put up an brazen genital-based pornographic image as their avatar! You can only 'flag' it if your a Facebook-er and nothing happens. I suppose this is an 'improvement'.

[Lowell]

Well for sure some of the resident regular cranks and white supremacy trolls have had to regroup until the get their Facebook profiles ready to sprout and troll some more. Some may move on to other areas not requiring the use of a FB account.

I agree with that. Creating another facebook account is simple. I keep one be able to view my main profile as an unfriended outsider, just to be able to periodically test if my privacy settings are working as I wish. Facebook is continually pulling that carpet from beneath our feet, so it requires attention.

[467riverfix]

Didn't even know one could previously post on Freep site. Hate facebook.

[internet_pseudopod]

I have seen the Facebook based commenting system clean up a lot of forums. But Detroit's racists are extra motivated and I am sure they will be back with a vengeance. I guess the next move is to limit posting to those with gmail/Google + accounts. You can't open a new gmail account without a working phone/cell phone.

[internet_pseudopod]

Didn't even know one could previously post on Freep site. Hate facebook.

That was by design. I am pretty sure they would do as much as they could to keep people away from that embarrassment of a forum.

[HistoryNotHisStory]

This action by the Free Press eliminates a truly "free press".

Important stories and groundbreaking news were made by individuals who were anonymous. Imagine if "Deep Throat" had to have a Facebook account to expose the Nixon administration.

Not all comments are incendiary. Some of us have facts, but do not want to be known publicly due to employee/employer concerns and other conflicts of interest.

In addition, not everyone wants to be on Facebook.

[RO_Resident]

This action by the Free Press eliminates a truly "free press".

Important stories and groundbreaking news were made by individuals who were anonymous. Imagine if "Deep Throat" had to have a Facebook account to expose the Nixon administration.

Not all comments are incendiary. Some of us have facts, but do not want to be known publicly due to employee/employer concerns and other conflicts of interest.

In addition, not everyone wants to be on Facebook.

What's stopping you from picking up a phone or sending an email when you want to talk to a reporter?

[HistoryNotHisStory]

Absolutely nothing, but I should not have to use Facebook.

Facebook is slowly having a monopoly on free speech while infringing upon privacy rights.

[Zacha341]

Precisely. It is showing up more and more as a 'sole' portal of internet commentary relative to news and media. Which makes me refuse even more to set up a FB account!

...Facebook is slowly having a monopoly on free speech while infringing upon privacy rights.

[Novine]

Read the comments on this article to see that the garbage has washed back up on the Freep. There's not even a way to flag the vile garbage that is posted here.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE

[daft]

Good observation. But for the record, that's from the News, not the Freep.

[Novine]

Crud! You're right. Now that the two have the same commenting system, I unfairly dissed on the Freep. I noticed that all of the offending comments have been removed from the article. But it still was a bunch of disgusting comments made by Facebook commenters.