Invest in a spellcheck you moron, and other comments

When we decided to allow comments on the nwlanews.com website, I knew we were running a risk. Still fresh in my mind was the hullabaloo surrounding certain comments made on a message board run by the Minden Press-Herald and the ensuing arrest and defamation charges.

This time around, the comments are at least from registered users, so we can track them by their IP address if anything “criminal” is posted. Being a recipient of First Amendment rights, I believe in free speech, even when it differs from my own set of values.

I have not been keeping track of all the comments, but I spent a little time today to review some of the more recent ones.

My heart was warmed by the outpouring of support for the McFarland family in response to their recent tragic loss. The comments to the stories on the web site show that Minden (and others) are praying for this family.

Equally, I was amused by the comments with regard to spelling errors, punctuation issues and other “constructive criticisms” of the stories. In fact it reminds me of “fan mail” I would receive as publisher of the Press-Herald. Inside there would usually be a copy of a recent edition, all marked in red with every grammatical, typographical or AP style error in the edition.

It is funny that people who aren’t involved with getting a newspaper to press each day are so quick to point out the errors of those who do. This is not to make light of errors in print. In fact an error that gets past an editor is one of the toughest things to accept. No matter how many times you proof a story on the screen or on a printout, it always seems to rear its ugly head when the paper is off the press.

I must admit, the comments on this site are much more tame than those of other newspaper website. Perhaps it is the nature of “the Friendliest City in the South” that the commentary is more civil. Perhaps it is the “registered user” requirement.

So keep the comments coming, even if they take aim at those of us covering the news and offering opinion. We can take it. We always have.

May the Blog Be With You.