Online, ugly — yet free speech

[Commentary] Increasingly, news and other websites are striving to elevate the content of comments online. Among the strategies:

• One option is to ban comments entirely. This certainly eliminates ugly postings, but it also wipes out any constructive conversation and removes a check on flawed journalism.
• Many sites have posted clear standards and rely on self-policing by members who flag particularly offensive comments. Some sites are experimenting with ways to have the most constructive comments and commenters be more visible.
• The most effective — and expensive — way to ensure a constructive community of commenters is through strict moderation. Nothing gets posted unless it's first reviewed by an editor.
• Finally, more websites are considering forcing commenters to register and post comments by name. There's a downside for site managers, though. As the New Haven Register told its readers, "The problem is research showing that forcing people to register to comment dramatically decreases the size of the online audience, and that's an area we're trying to grow, not shrink."

The common denominator in all of these solutions, of course, is that they're being implemented by website managers and not the government. That's exactly how it should be. The First Amendment gives sites the right to determine their own content, including deciding which comments pass muster. In turn, abusive commenters have the right to free speech, but that doesn't mean that websites have to give them a soapbox. There's a strong possibility that the marketplace itself will help enhance the online marketplace of ideas. If sites provide guidelines, enforce them and create an environment conducive to the sharing of opinions, they should see greater engagement and have a better setting for readers and advertisers. The sites where comments are simply an endless string of epithets, attacks and counterattacks run the risk of losing their audiences. In the end, we'll get the kind of online discourse we demand — or deserve.

[Paulson is president of the First Amendment Center]