Unfettered Commentary vs Intelligent Discourse

» WaPo: Online Venom or Vibrant Speech? (Deborah Howell)

Complaints first came from the newsroom. Reporters don't appreciate the often rude feedback, which I get, too. (A sample reader comment on my column last week: "I think we can all agree after reading Howell's lame comments week after week that the Post should save money by eliminating her position entirely. She is worse than a dupe.")

Of course, it could be that some just have a problem dealing with honest - even passionate - criticism. That doesn't excuse the worst type of behavior, but there's something to be said for getting an honest, simple, straightforward critique that cuts to the chase rather than a long, drawn-out, diplomatically laced, sugar coated, "sorry-to-bother-you, but ..." type of response.

... then again, some people have egos.

For the record, I'm with Marc Fisher:

"It would be wrong to filter out viewpoints that are antagonistic or aggressive simply because some readers might disagree with them. The good news is that the comment boards are remarkably self-correcting. The ugliest comments get shouted down pretty fast."

Amen!