I agree also sometimes it can be very hurt full.

Those comments are moderated. I've only ever seen the reactions to the rude comments, because the rude comments are removed. I post there and I try to be fair while still making a point, or expanding others comments to include more accurate information or corrections to what they've posted.

I couldn't agree more!

REMOVE THE OPTION OF COMMENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't see the point, other than people to say hateful things....without identifying themselves. I will no longer be using this site and highly recommend others stop also.

If email addresses were posted with the names, then those posting, all of them, would be subject to the whims and whimsies of spambots and spiders, as well as being available for people to take some arguments off the boards.

What I would like to see is a 'dislike' button, or some sort of rating system that would be automated. So many low/dislike ratings, the post is automatically removed.

Ok I could see maybe not posting your email address in fear of getting a bunch of unwanted mail but your proper name so you weren't hiding behind an alias where you feel so free to say nasty hurtful things. An opinion on a topic is one thing but some people get down right rude and obnoxious.

AMEN!!!!

I totally agree! Why do people need to comment on a news report? It's the news. Read it and move on. If you are so inspired to comment write in to the editor. Please, please, please get rid of the comment section! Rude and inconsiderate posts are taken down but not right away. Way to many people (many of whom are family to people involved) read these comments before they are removed. Hiding behind fictitious names just opens up the comments to racism, rudeness, meanness and stupidity.

That would greatly reduce the effectiveness of this website. Warnings and possibly revoked posting priveledges may suffice.

I actually emailed them last night with concerns about this. It's ridiculous that they allow such hateful, hurtful comments on some of these articles. Either they have to do away with comments all together, or make it so people have to post their entire full names with each comment. I am absolutely disgusted!!

All you people who want the comments removed seem to think that because someone does not agree with you, or share the same sympathy/empathy are wrong. Fact of the matter is we are all entitled to our opinion...weather you like or not. Why should I read your comments and not respond?...Why should I not be allowed the freedom to post my comments about a story? you are...or is just cause I don't see the world the same way you do...I find your comments about censoring posts or restricting privleges hurtfull and hatefull...not to mention communistic overtones

@Agnostic333 so if you had a family member die tragically you would be okay with people starting rumours, and saying that "they deserved" what happened?? Seriously?? It's not about everyone agreeing. It's about everyone being respectful! I really don't care who agrees with me or not, but why should a grieving family member have to see some really ridiculous comments and accusations. Why would it be so wrong to make people post with their full names? It would only help people to stop and think before hitting enter. I read the articles on this site daily, and it doesn't really matter what the article is about, there is always some nasty comments, or people who like to add to the story without any facts. You can't make a comment while reading a newspaper... Maybe that's the way it should be on here. Have a "letter to the editor" section. It has nothing to do with taking away freedom of speech, it has to do with showing some respect. I think the internet offers people a great way to bully people as a coward! I think there could be some definite changes made to how comments are made or posted ont his site. I really believe there can be ways to make this site more positive. I don't want another person to lose a family member in a tragic accident only to hear from a complete stranger that because they weren't wearing a helmet they deserved to die. Or some of the other comments that have been made on here over the past months. People should start posting their names and stop hiding behind the internet!

Don't change a thing. Panow is great. It gets people talking.

Another option might be that you have to be a member of the site before you can post anything. In theory, if they use an email confirmation programme, they'll have the email address of those who don't post in an adult manner and they can either be reprimanded or banned from posting.

It's just a thought.

We're moving into the digital age, and 'instant communications' is becoming the norm. PA either has to get with the programme, or stay locked in the previous century.

I think comments should have to be either submitted and approved before posting, or else have a way that you MUST post with your real name... Whether you need to log in through facebook, or some such place to do it, I really don't care. Some people are ignorant, rude and hurtful and their comments should not be posted at all!!! And, if the comments are being moderated, then WHY are so many of the comments on here SO nasty, and NOT removed??? As moderators, I think some more discretion should be used as to what can stay and what has to be removed. Put yourselves in the place of the victims/subjects of the articles, and see how you would feel with the amount of slander and speculation that is allowed to be posted on here. It's an absolute disgrace! If the comments cannot be moderated any better, then they need to be removed altogether. Let's show some class here!!

I can assure our paNOW readers that we have a person moderating the comment sections around the clock. All comments that violate are policy are removed in a timely fashion and those who can't follow the rules are dealt with. People should appreciate that some of the comments are border line and are a judgement call. You the reader though have the opportunity to challenge the moderator's decision by "flagging" a comment innapropriate. This temporarly removes the comment from the section and alerts us to have another look at it. So essentially, the reader can have a role in policing the site.

Thanks for the input folks.

- paNOW

Welcome to the internet, people.

I think the moderators need to define "borderline". Some of the comments have definitely crossed the line! If something is untrue, unrelated to the story, or downright hurtful, or hateful, they should be removed. Period. How would any comment like that be "borderline"?

I have noticed a lot of nastiness on PANOW, it seems everyone wants to make things personal. It would be nice to be able to discuss varying opinions with our neighbours without be told "if you don't like it, move" repeatedly, or being attacked personally. Are we really that miserable here in PA? Sadly, as I alluded to before, the internet is a lot like alcohol or money, it intensifies the personality you already have: if you're a jerk, you're an even bigger jerk under the protective anonymity of the web. Hard to moderate that.

Very true, Vlasic! Very true.

go back and read the daily herald web page that is where everything is censored.nobody is forcing you to view these pages let me guess you either know or are related to jim scarrow.atleast here panow post what is going on and does not hide everything like the mayor run newspaper

@PA Now - Yes, comments are taken down if they're inappropriate, but as you can see from the posts to this issue, that's not enough. The rude and racist comments are still seen by hundreds of people before they are taken down. There needs to be a way to keep these comments from being seen. Adults are not the only people that can access this website.

I completely agree with Pam. Becoming a member in order to post comments is a great idea. That's how other public forums run and it would be easier to deal with those abusing the site or just being rude because they can. Email addresses would not be posted, but members could be banned more easily for inappropriate comments.

This would be a simple way to solve the problem. What do you think, PA Now?

yasmin if you knew anything about using the internet or running a web site then you would know they can ban a user without know the name of the user,have you ever thought some of those inappropiate rude and racial comments maybe are coming from the younger kids?what i see happeneing here is people who want a web site that will only post the views of a certain group of people and not that of everyone who wants to post and have a say in what they think or feel.i think panow staff are doing a great job since this site has opened even though i do not agree with everything posted and i sure hope they DO NOT take the same direction that the daily herald has done to censor everything that is posted because the group that runs it does not like people expressing their own opinions or asking questions.remember this is not a communist country so quit trying to run it like one and let people have their say and express their feeling and opinions.

It isn't the younger people, and if that's what you think thetruth, you are sadly mistaken! You are again clearly mistaken when you say people want the opinion of one group of people. I would love to hear opinions from everyone, but they can be done in a respectful way. No family should have to read that their family member deserved to die. Or that their family member was drunk at the time of his death when they knew for a fact he wasn't. People can give opinions, yes, but to use this site to start rumors, or to spread hate, it's ridiculous.

pam everyone has a right to their opinions it does not matter if that opinion is good or bad it is just that their opinion and yes some people may be hurt by that opinion but it is not like you are going to die or be killed because of it. respect is a two way street pam you do not want people to have their own opinion but yet you want them to respect your and others if it falls in line with what you would like to hear or read it cannot be one way. this is a open source for people to have what they said heard and read if it is not violent or to offensive and if it is i am sure the staff from panow will handle it the best whey they think it needs to be handled and not just look at it from a oneside point of view.

Why do you even need comments to articles, nobody really needs to know your rude thoughts or opinions. Its a news article, a matter of information, who cares what anyone thinks!

@thetruth... there is a huge amount of difference between an "opinion" and flat out "gossip". The majority of what goes on here has NOTHING to do with opinion, it's just gossip, speculation and jumping to conclusions. I happen to love hearing other people's opinions, and I love nothing more than a good heated debate... But, as with every debate, there needs to be rules that have to be followed. I personally don't see anything wrong with asking for a little respect, and maybe having a little knowledge about a situation before some of these people just run their mouths for the fun of it. All we are asking is that if people comment, they do so in a respectful manner... And, if that can't be controlled, then remove the comments altogether. No one is being one sided here, thetruth, except you, it seems. Perhaps you get your daily kicks out of reading some people's trash on here? Perhaps you, yourself, have written some of the trash on here... Why else would you be getting so upset over the topic at hand? People come onto this site to catch up on the latest news, not being able to read people's personal comments, attacks and gossip won't deter me from the site at all. This site is, in my opinion, the best out there for up to the minute local news and information. It would be a shame to see people turn away from it because of something so easy to fix!!

@the truth. I did say everyone should be entitled to their opinion, but to say things like I have previously posted is ridiculous. If you agree they should be allowed to post that kind of thing, then obviously you have never been in a position to have to defend a deceased relative. You are very lucky. I hope you never find yourself in that position, so you never know where I am coming from. I see the moderators take out some foul language, yet they don't take off these ridiculous posts. Which are far more offensive than the occasional swear word.
And you said if it's not too offensive... What would be too offensive in your opinion if saying your mother deserved to die isn't????

I agree Janine...@"TheTruth", you stated "it does not matter if that opinion is good or bad it is just that their opinion and yes some people may be hurt by that opinion but it is not like you are going to die or be killed because of it"...REALLY?!?! Have you NOT heard of people killing themselves from getting BULLIED?!?! Thats what these "opinions" are!Horrible comments that couldn't come at a more horrific time in a persons life! Someone actually wrote that the young girl deserved to die cause she wasn't wearing a helmet....or wait...was that you?? You feel the need to defend such horrible comments when you have NO IDEA WHO read it...maybe they're taking the death sooo badly that they MAY hurt themself as they're struggling to deal. Then they turn to their COMMUNITY BOARD and see that "their" community has this "opinion"...how sad! We as adults are trying to help our young at being understanding and non judgemental, then we see that even some adults need to be taught! A car accident can't even be posted on PANow without peope commenting horrible opinions on the drivers! No one knows what really happened, but everyone sure feels they're entitled to their "opinion" by putting down the people involved! I had no idea that Prince Albert had so many perfect and self righteous people!

erin being bullied and stating a opinion is two different things now with what you people on here are trying to do is bully panow into doing what you would like done(It involves repeated acts over time attempting to create or enforce one person's (or group's) power over another person (or group) , thus an "imbalance of power) .if i was you erin before i start throwing the bully card into this i would read what it actually means and then read what an opinion actually means you will find that nowhere in the meaning of opinion you will find the word bully.nobody forces anyone to read what is posted here we all have a choice and like i said before the panow staff are doing a great job in moderating the site,i don't always agree with what they let be posted or what they decide has to be edited but i do trust that they will do the right thing.thanks to panow for atleast giving people a open voice in our closed door city

This issue is not in any way linked to the SCF site, the City of Prince Albert, or it's ability to resolve the issue.

I read pretty much all news post and am amazed that the only articals with negative comments is ones regarding natives......theses reports always have the most comments.........prince albert has a large population of natives......and i am shocked at the racisim in this city!................its a shame .....

Freedom of speech should not cover attack on the character of an individual, business, or even the City. Legitimate problems and issues we face on a daily basis should be discussed, but bashing without merit should not be tolerated.

Nothing has yet been done to fix this issue.

yomamma, racism is rampant and works both ways. There are people who don't check to see if a native was involved at all. They automatically assume that was the case and start their diatribe. It's just like all hit and runs are by drunk drivers, every cyclist probably deserved to be hit because they were doing something "stupid" and every attack in the city involves drugs and/or gangs in some way. Oh, and if it's not City Hall's fault, it's the fault of the federal or provincial government.

Both sides of this argument are going to have to learn new tactics and some diplomacy if they want their side of the story to be heard and not just repeated as gossip.

Hi all,

It's great to see SeeClickFix being used to voice your concerns about this issue. We think constructive conversation is good, especially when it's directed towards the identification and ultimate resolution of reported issues such as this one. That's why it's important to move the conversation forward as opposed to backwards. As a website designed to publicly address community issues, SeeClickFix would also like to emphasize the importance of respect on this forum. Comments that are attacking other users, contain harsh language, etc, are subject for removal.

As you continue your discussion, please let us know if there are any questions or concerns we can address for you. Our email is contact@seeclickfix.com

Keep SeeClickFixin'!

Emma

Wow! I think this issue has gotten a little out of hand. Those of you that are advocating for the comment section to be removed due to rude comments are literally attacking those who are defening the comment section...my observation from the way the posts are worded...Things can easily be taken out of context in text/written word and I realize this, the question is, do you?

Personally, I could really care less if there is a comment section or not. I see both sides of the story. I can see that people want the comments removed due to hurtful posts, I totally get it. At the same time, I can also see the reasons why people want the comment section open. People like to feel that their opinion is being heard.
As for the newspapers not having a comment section...what do you think coffee shops are for? There are always comments on every news story that is told whether it's on a public forum on the internet like this, or morning coffee time at the Co-op for example. There have always been ways to voice opinions about the news.

I think a solution could be to limit which stories can be commented on. For example, a car accident happens resulting in the loss of a life, I don't feel it necessary for people to comment on something like that. Stories like floods in the province, or the federal elections, why not leave those open for comments. Afterall, EVERYONE has an opinion about politics and that seems to be acceptable.

I just want to share some of my observations...
Last week when that young girl passed away, 99% of the comments on the story were well wishes and sympathy posts for the family. Very few comments were negative...although, unfortunately there were some negative comments. That is extremely unfortunate and I agree that yes, those comments should be removed as soon as they are posted, or not allowed up at all because there will always be those that will comment back about said person being rude and hurtful and the fight is on.
We cannot force people to change their ways/views/opinions what we can do is choose to not respond to negative comments, and flag them as inappropriate so they will be removed.

Please also note that I am not trying to attack anyone with this post, I am merely trying to find a common ground that we can all be happy with. What are your opinions on the suggestion to allow comments on some stories but not others?

I think that PAnow is doing a great job of moderating. It's probably not an easy task for them to be supervising a site 24/7 to make sure idiots don't post something inappropriate. And for everyone to say they aren't doing anything, I don't know and I'm sure you don't know either, how many comments have been deleted or changed or how many people have been blocked.

And instead of blaming this site for the racism and crap going on in this city, blame the community members!!! They're the ones at fault! Better yet, do something to try to change it!

Perhaps one of the good people on here who aren't racist and don't like what is going on in PA should try to do something good for the community. Volunteer. Start an anti-racism campaign. Do something other than complain on here!

@Julie. I totally agree. I think that if the comments can be moderated in a way to prevent all the negative...not in the sense that someone doesn't agree with me....but the negative comments that have absolutely nothing to do with the news story then the comments should remain open. Or as you stated...leave the comments open on certain articles and not on others. I just believe there is a way to make it more positive. I don't bash everyone's opinions, as I have stated before, I like to hear everyone's opinions, but some of the comments should NEVER be posted. In my opinion people that can hide behind a fake name, and behind their keyboard, use that as an opportunity to be complete jerks, or say something just to get a "rise" out of people. I think if you feel strongly about something, and want to voice your opinion, you should be able to do so using your first and last name...

I think we are after a common goal here Pam. The unfortunate thing is that some people just enjoy stirring the pot and others emotions. I really hope we can all be a little more considerate of other people's feelings and learn how to brush aside those who like to stir the pot, (and flag their comments as inappropriate)...afterall, if we don't react, their efforts to disturb will be lost. :)

that is why i quit commenting julie i was being attacked and bullied from these people it is a shame we cannot have a decent discussion without those types trying to say mean things for no reason.thank you julie for taking notice of the verbal attacking a bullying being done by people on here.

I disagree, the truth. We were all just stating our opinions, weren't we?

I agree with thetruth. There were personal attacks starting to happen, which is why I think SCF closed this issue. This further emphasizes the whole point of this issue. Debates are great, but it is so easy to get frustrated and start personally attacking other members. I still think there needs to be more ownership placed on those posting comments. I really think having to register for the website would help to resolve this issue or at least control it better. The way it is now, everyone can use the same screen name if they want. I think each member should be attached to a single screen name and take responsibility for their comments.

Personal attacks. That can be a slippery slope, too. Some people take everything said as a personal attack if it doesn't agree with the way they think. Then you have people who come completely unglued when someone suggests that the first person needs to look into the story/subject more. In 15 years of moderating forums, I find that these people are usually the ones who are treating "common knowledge" as fact or they can't be arsed to go looking for more information.

I think membership to be allowed to post is necessary. You may not get the 'real name' of a person, but you'll have some sort of consistency in who posts what. The drawback to this is that "volunteer moderators" may not be an option. PANow would have to hire more mods to help keep track of the members and what they post. PANow is a relatively new idea in PA. Is there enough money available to be able to hire the needed mods? Is there enough return for value in it?

Some people launch personal attacks when the other person is right. They can't handle the truth and have nothing intelligent to add, so they just start mudslinging. This is one of the unfortunate aspects of any comments section.

@ Peg...probably one of the most intellegent posts I have seen on this topic. I agree with you. I am a firm believer that in order to comment on something, you should do your homework and know what you are talking about. In cases like that, a healthy and respectful debate can be established.

@ Brown Bread...I also agree with your post. There are always people that are going to sling mud. These are the people we need to try to ignore and flag.

Maybe having to register would be a solution. That way people might think twice about what they are posting, however, like Peg mentioned, people still won't necessarily use their real name, and its not terribly cost effective for PAnow to hire more moderators for the purpose of policing forums. The economical thing to do would be to remove the comment section entirely and quite honestly, I personally don't feel that extreme action like that needs to be taken. Like I mentioned before, maybe limiting which stories comments are allowed on would also be an option.

There is that, Brown bread. I think those would be the easiest to flag, though, wouldn't they? They don't say anything other than the personal attack and don't contribute to the discussion?

http://www.panow.com/disclaimer

You can't begin to fathom how many times I've been attacked, slandered, etc, hit the 'flag' button and the hurtful comments remain. I've seen comments closed because they've veered off topic but I was seriously attacked once for disagreeing with a statement and the mudslinging was allowed to stand. It makes me wonder if paNOW is being truthful when they say comments are moderated around the clock.

It would be nice if they changed the commenting section so there was some degree of self moderation. Similiar to the comments @ tomshardware.com

Comments can be thumbed up OR down. If a comment has a rating of less than a number defined by the site... lets say... -5. The comment gets hidden.

To paNOW moderators. Why give anonymity ? You will never have a decent debate if people can hide behind pseudonyms. If people can not give their real name and have to hide, their comments can not be counted in the category of "free speech".

John Fryters

Last time I used my real name, I had people phoning my home and harrassing me about something I'd written. I have a screen name. I answer to it. I don't mind discussing current events out in public, but my private life is mine, thank you.

I have witten in once before on this very topic and will state my views again. I believe that this whole forum thing is a way for uninformed people to spout off about things they know nothing about. I do not want to catagorize all in the same boat but it does appear that it is a prime forum for idiots. If someone does have a legitimate topic, there are too many who turn it in to a grandstand of nonsense. I also believe that folks who have nothing better to do than spend all of their time getting "informed" from this site may need to get out a bit more. I just read a comment on the front page about a guy who heard sirens last night and wants to know what went on, well if no one knows, someone will make it up for him. I also have issue with this site overreporting a news story that they know nothing about, just to be first. This leaves way too much open to rumour and inuendo. Lastly, for all of you that insult the people that do have legit things to talk about, you need to "get out of your mothers basement in front of your computer" and get a real life. If you think your disgusting comments are cool or appreciated by anyone, I would imagine you are sadly mistaken.

everyone just wants to be a troll nowadays, rude commets on the internet arent going away just deal with it.

It would be nice if moderators would delete any disrespectful portion of comments. Just because someone disagrees with you, you shouldn't be called an idiot or anything like that. paNOW is still experiencing some growing pains; they'll figure it out.

news talk 980/650 websites used to have comments... it lasted a few months. Now I think comments are only enabled on blog postings... no more on news articles.

leaderpost website in regina... comments are only enabled on certain stories. Generally stories involving crimes had comments disabled.

The comments on many topics just seem downright mean. A little sarcasm, humour, and intelligent debate are all fine, but name calling and mean-spiritedness don't help anyone. I realize I sometimes offend ppl while trying to get my point across, but I try to censor myself as much as possible. Perhaps we need stronger moderation of the site.

Not going to be solved.

Tired of getting emails from SCF

remember the old adage about the Light shining on the truth, or something like that

there is NO BETTER way to deal with racist, or hateful comments than putting them out there for all to see, and for everyone to take the time to reply, respectfully or not, to let the Hater know we know they are out there

we should not let the haters hide in the shadows. We should shine the light on them brightly

hello in regards to the people posting comments its a free world we can right what we want if u dont like dont read it this is a blog were people post what they think , on the other hand people who are posting this should be a little more respectfull of the choice of words but are we supposed to sensor the people the voice of the city this is what they are thinking so stop complaing and relize that these voices matter too no matter how harsh the blog.