As traditional journalism (print and broadcast) struggles to find a way in the digital realm, one of the biggest hurdles has been how to deal with the feedback. Reporters and editors aren’t used to “listening” in an age where everyone can be a publisher. Sure, there are “Letters to the Editor,” but those always came with the caveat and expectation of heavy moderation.

Later, it occurred to newsrooms that allowing people to comment on stories would be great. Anything involving your community of readers must be good; if it drives pageviews, then so much the better. But they were not ready to deal with the problems of trolls and astroturf (like I chronicled in Alabama’s Bingo Battle.)

The award-winning Anniston Star and all its sister publications at Consolidated Publishing are turning the Klieg lights on the cockroaches with a new policy for online comments: More >