Comments from readers on Freep.com v.All Gloves Off

**xphillipjrx** · April-19-10, 03:03 PM

Scroll down and read the comments from this freep.com story http://tinyurl.com/y4sutgj covering yesterday's Dateline NBC show. It is the latest example of the hate and contempt within the freep.com web forum. I live in Chicago and I have been here since 1998. I read DetroitYES because I can get informative replies to the news of the day without the vitriol shown on freep.com. Then I read freep.com until the topic dissolves into a bunch of rants and finger pointing.

Those comments are the 500-pound gorilla in the room that Chris Hansen failed to mention last night. There are people in the city who wouldn't accept suburban help if they were on their last breath. There are suburbanites who wouldn't piss on the city if it were on fire [[bad analogy, I know

).

What do you think it will take to change the minds and hearts of Metro Detroit residents?

**xphillipjrx** · April-19-10, 03:05 PM

Freep.com knows what's up, because they didn't even allow comments on that story about the young lady in Dearborn who sued McD's.

**Ray1936** · April-19-10, 03:13 PM

It's always struck me that the majority of "posters" on Freep stories are not all that bright to start with. Further, nearly 90% of the posts are comments on OTHER posts, and not the story itself. Frankly, you're better off to just skip reading the posts.

**Homer** · April-19-10, 03:20 PM

When I read the freep comments I can't imagine having those folks for neighbors if I were to move to the suburbs. They are scary!

**exmotowner** · April-19-10, 03:29 PM

"hat do you think it will take to change the minds and hearts of Metro Detroit residents?"

I know this is pessimistic, but I dont think it will ever change. Been that way for years and its the only city I know of that hates its suburbs and vice versa.

**gnome** · April-19-10, 03:33 PM

amen, Ray.

**R8RBOB** · April-19-10, 03:49 PM

These Freep posters are the same folks who listen religiously to folks like Limbaugh and Beck. [[Ignorant and clueless) I posted some of the comments on the other post and one Freep poster commented about Blacks getting entitlements to stay in Detroit and not live near him and it made me think what entitlements is Detroit giving out and why haven't I received any of them. I'm sure there are thousands of Detroiters wondering where are their entitlements cause we aren't feeling the love.

**Kevgoblue** · April-19-10, 06:08 PM

The thing that made Detroit great at one time is the same thing tearing it down now. The auto plants needed lots of hardworking people to make lots of money building all those cars. Education was not a requirement. After 3 or 4 generations of this lifestyle we have a community which is disproportionately overpaid and undereducated. When the economy contracts and people are forced to fight for scarce resources the "us vs. them" finger pointing starts right away.

**Novine** · April-19-10, 08:19 PM

Typical trash in the Freep forums. Stephen Henderson's been on here with his half-hearted defense of community feedback. It's all about dollars. Each moron who comments and then reloads to see the next moron's comment generates pageviews for the Freep, cranking up advertising revenue. They could have the comments in a Forum but that wouldn't generate the ad dollars. So they whore out their principles and integrity, allowing trash on their online site that would never see the light of day in the print version.

**xphillipjrx** · April-19-10, 08:31 PM

In a perfect world the Freep comments would be akin to instant Letters to the Editor. Instead they are a print version of The Jerry Springer Show.

lilpup · April-19-10, 09:24 PM

Also keep in mind that, even as here, not all those comments are necessarily from people in this area. Online you can't know who's messing with you until they post enough detail to convince you they're local. Go read the comments on Dateline's page and notice how the political slants were some of the first posted. Recall NYC Mayor Bloomberg's remark about an opponent, saying that NYC would become another Detroit if said opponent was elected. This shit isn't at all entirely local - there are interlopers around to push their agendas, too - and I think they're more prone to be on the major media outlet websites because those sites are easier for them to find.

**R8RBOB** · April-19-10, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

Also keep in mind that, even as here, not all those comments are necessarily from people in this area. Online you can't know who's messing with you until they post enough detail to convince you they're local. Go read the comments on Dateline's page and notice how the political slants were some of the first posted. Recall NYC Mayor Bloomberg's remark about an opponent, saying that NYC would become another Detroit if said opponent was elected. This shit isn't at all entirely local - there are interlopers around to push their agendas, too - and I think they're more prone to be on the major media outlet websites because those sites are easier for them to find.

It doesn't bother me that people have negative things to say about Detroit. For the record, Detroit isn't looking pretty right now so we can't expect non-Detroiters to say anything good but I have a problem when said non-Detroiter [[code for non-Black) can claim that Detroit is in the shape it is in because of Blacks. It is like saying the financial collapse was the result of sub-prime loans being giving to the poor. There is always a bigger mystery if one willing to look for it.

**mwilbert** · April-19-10, 10:02 PM

Reading the Freep comment sections is like swimming in a sewer. I wouldn't do it voluntarily, and I don't see why anyone else would either

As to what will change attitudes, the same things that always do--time and new facts on the ground.

**drjeff** · April-21-10, 09:26 AM

I refuse to read the Freep comments on anything any more, as the only people who take the time to comment are either complete idiots and/or jerks who are just looking for a reaction. Until they get rid of allowing anonymous comments so these fools can no longer hide behind a silly screen name and have to use their real identity, it just isn't worth reading.

**REL** · April-21-10, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by xphillipjrx

... [[The Freep comment section is) a print version of The Jerry Springer Show.

Quote of the day.

DC48080 · April-21-10, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by drjeff

I refuse to read the Freep comments on anything any more, as the only people who take the time to comment are either complete idiots and/or jerks who are just looking for a reaction. Until they get rid of allowing anonymous comments so these fools can no longer hide behind a silly screen name and have to use their real identity, it just isn't worth reading.

Uh.... you mean the same way people on this forum use silly screen names and not their real names?

And for the record, I don't read or post on the newspaper comments pages.

**Patrick** · April-21-10, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

It's always struck me that the majority of "posters" on Freep stories are not all that bright to start with. Further, nearly 90% of the posts are comments on OTHER posts, and not the story itself. Frankly, you're better off to just skip reading the posts.

Most are probably mentally challeneged or lack an educmucation.

**Kevgoblue** · April-22-10, 11:07 PM

Uh oh.....they're at it again. http://www.freep.com/article/2010042...jobs-offensive

The Freep needs to just take that comment board down. The garbage that spews on there is downright embarrasing. Almost none of the posters appear interested in engaging in legitimate conversation / debate.
Is there really that few eduacated people in this region?

**313WX** · April-23-10, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Kevgoblue

Is there really that few eduacated people in this region?

Not so much undereducated [[which is also true), but more so ill-informed.

But one must remember most [[if not all) of Metro Detroit's current residents were raised in the Coleman Young era, and as they say it's hard teach an old dog new tricks.

Of course they're going to rub of whatever hate they have on their children.

**jackie5275** · April-23-10, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

It's always struck me that the majority of "posters" on Freep stories are not all that bright to start with. Further, nearly 90% of the posts are comments on OTHER posts, and not the story itself. Frankly, you're better off to just skip reading the posts.

I agree, especially after I saw one post where a woman was defending herself from a series of hate posts against her. One of those haters indicated that people who comment on the freep.com are mean, evil people, & if this women couldn't take the heat from them she shouldn't post there. Also, I had noted that many of them don't read the entire story before commenting.

**Evelyn** · April-23-10, 05:22 PM

The Free Press isn't the only newspaper that's had issues with their online comments...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/te...l?ref=business

**R8RBOB** · April-23-10, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by Evelyn

The Free Press isn't the only newspaper that's had issues with their online comments...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/te...l?ref=business

Reading the comments from the Free Press is the reason why I never signed up. I find the crude, racist and ignorant comments not worth addressing. I was reading about the Luther Keith article and some of the posters were commenting to Stephen Henderson as to why Rochelle Riley will not allow comments to be posted on her column. What some of these ignorant readers didn't understand that writers such as Ms. Riley want to engage with readers regarding their comments but when the comments are stupid in nature why deal with the headache.

**drjeff** · April-26-10, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by DC48080

Uh.... you mean the same way people on this forum use silly screen names and not their real names?

And for the record, I don't read or post on the newspaper comments pages.

The difference is that DYes posters tend to be more intelligent and a lot more civil in general. It's rare to see a Freep comment that isn't idiotic or inflammatory.

**xphillipjrx** · April-26-10, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by Evelyn

The Free Press isn't the only newspaper that's had issues with their online comments...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/te...l?ref=business

It is tough to put the cat back in the bag and it will be interesting to see if they can reel in the wackos with those ideas. We like to think that DetroitYES members are more educated than the average poster on Freep, but I think it's the self-policing that leads to quality.

People who post offensive comments on DY -anonymous or real name- are asked to change their tune or they get removed. There are other sites [[like offtopic.com) that allow more spirited debate than DY, but those sites still have boundaries. The only comments that get removed from newspapers are those that contain outright slurs. Anything else that's considered opinion is allowed to stay.

Better policing in the 90s on newspaper sites would have resulted in quality discussions today.

**sehender1** · April-26-10, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

Typical trash in the Freep forums. Stephen Henderson's been on here with his half-hearted defense of community feedback. It's all about dollars. Each moron who comments and then reloads to see the next moron's comment generates pageviews for the Freep, cranking up advertising revenue. They could have the comments in a Forum but that wouldn't generate the ad dollars. So they whore out their principles and integrity, allowing trash on their online site that would never see the light of day in the print version.

Really strong accusations.
And pretty uninformed.
1) Comments don't generate ad dollars, as clicking through comment pages doesn't equate to more "hits," as far as advertisers are concerned, on a given story. They're concerned about unique visitors, not just the number of times a person looks at an article.

2) In the editorial section, one of my specific missions is to encourage, generate and maintain ways for readers to engage with us about what we write. Yes, that means comments on stories. But it has also meant hosting the chats that we did last year for city council candidates and that we've done for a few other folks. It also means inviting in guest bloggers who hold arguments and debates with readers. [[And those things generate no real money at all; so what's my greedy motive there, huh?) Right now, I'm not staffed properly to maintain all of those things at the level I'd like. Working on that, though, and you can expect to see our focus shift more heavily toward this kind of interaction in the [[near, I hope) future.

3) I spend a fair amount of time in the comments under editorial page items, both conversing and debating with people and fly-specking for obnoxious stuff. It makes a difference, and I think you'll find far less of the egregious stuff there. Of course, I can't spend my whole day doing that, so until I can work out a more consistent presence from the department, it won't be what we want. But again, this will be an increasing focus for editorial.

4) We could shift comments to a forum, but the idea that that alone would upgrade their quality is pretty naive. All kinds of forums have trouble with nasty, inappropriate commenters, and a newspaper, by definition because of its broad cross-section of readers, is always going to deal with more of it than anyone else. I think the trick is for us to be more invovled in the comments, which seems to unfailingly raise the level of discourse. Some of it is just about people knowing that someone's paying attention. We are thinking about lots of different options right now for comments at the Freep, including some very big changes... the goal, for me, is to be able to take advantage of this medium's connective potential; I can't engage with readers as directly through the paper as I can on a digital platform.
Does the paper more broadly have a profit motive? Of course. We ain't a non-profit. It's incumbent on every publisher to find a way to monetize digital content; that's just the business.
But to suggest that we're stacking millions off foul-mouthed commenters is a fantasy, and an irresponsible accusation.