CBSNews.com Turns Off Comments on Obama Stories
(AP Photo)
"It's very simple," Mike Sims, director of News and Operations for CBSNews.com, told me. "We have our Rules of Engagement. They prohibit personal attacks, especially racist attacks. Stories about Obama have been problematic, and we won't tolerate it."
CBSNews.com does sometimes delete comments on an individual basis, but Sims said that was not sufficient in the case of Obama stories due to "the volume and the persistence" of the objectionable comments.
There has been a fierce debate about how news outlets should handle reader comments. Washingtonpost.com's Jim Brady, whose site, like CBSNews.com, does not have the resources to filter comments in advance, told Howard Kurtz that he'd "rather figure out a way to do it better than not to do it at all."
But Post reporter Darryl Fears told Kurtz that comments should be eliminated if they can't be pre-screened for offensiveness.
"If you're an African American and you read about someone being called a porch monkey, that overrides any positive thing that you would read in the comments," he said.
CBSNews.com has no plans to disable comments on stories about the other presidential candidates, according to Sims. As for comments on Obama stories, he said the site is open to eventually bringing them back.
"We'd like to be able to return to them, and I'm not ruling that out," said Sims. "But at this point it's not possible."
Personally, I am happy to hear this. Although I am very grateful to be able to comment when I have a strong opinion, I as a white person am tremendously offended by so many of the bigotry that is presented in so many comments (and not just in the raciscsm aspect).
I cannot understand - why - in today's world - people still have the audacity and lack of understanding for the need to open their minds past what was "bred" into their beliefs in the past...
We are all human beings... We all have to get past the 50's and 60's (and before) mentalities - that portrayed those who are different from as as "not human".
Although it may be difficult to take your mind to completely releasing all of those prejudicial thoughts - at the very lease - allow your minds to understand that the Golden Rule - is what needs to remain tops in our minds - no matter what your religion.
Treat others as you want to be treated.
The modern, sensible response to this problem is simply to monitor the site and delete the racist stuff as needed. But CBS News apparently is too cheap to have staff members dedicated to this work.
Some retrograde bean counter has decided that actually maintaining a valuable, user-centric web site doesn't quite make it, costwise. If you can't interact on the cheap, dump the interaction. Let the racists kill the conversation for everyone.l
How incredibly dumb. If this is your attitude toward interactivity, you'll have bigger problems than Katie in the future.
Too often what some call "political correctness" hides the true face of racism and allows people to to deny its existance.
It is very much alive and we need to battle the myth that it isn't.
For whom have these stories be "problematic", CBS or Obama?
I realize this is a tough call by CBS, but to isolate Obama is not fair to Obama. He's tough enough (I think) to repel inappropriate comments by those who are unable to explain themselves without resorting to racist slurs. I think Obama will pick up a vote or two for every slur.
I happen to be an old white man, a Republican from 1964-2002, who thinks Obama has a great deal to offer America. Obama offers vision, youth, energy and is a relevant political voice. This country was built by the white and black. I am definately shopping for my candidate, and so far Obama is on the short-list.
CBS you are dancing on deep water here. Give it a little more thought.
It appears as if someone is trying to take the "conservative" arugement that liberals are guilty of the "racsim by lowered expectations" or some such silliness... and make the comments made against Obama as illustrating this?
As with President Bush's comments about vetoing the Hate Crimes law, the conervatives benefit from the reality of racism while trying to pretend it doesn't exist!
I somehow really doubt that the racist comments made on blogs are made by liberals... I am not, however, surprised that some would wish to imply that this was so.
It just upsets me that some feel they can so blantantly lie and distort the truth.
If it's not America, it's the Middle East. If it's not the Middle East, it's Northern Ireland (Protestants and Catholics believing that they are different races..BIOLOGICALLY). If its not Northern Ireland, it's Nazi wannabees in Germany. Where the blank does this *** end???!!!
If NASA would offer to do this (blast bigots into the deep corners of space), I'd be willing to give them a years worth of my salary as a contribution to this effort. I'm willing to live on bread and water for an entire year if someone would use my money to get these nuts out of here.
I don't care who they are, what they look like, what ethnic group they belong to, etc. We need to get them (ALL OF THEM) out of here.
ANYBODY WITH ME???!!!
CBS, you need to acknowledge your own responsibility in promoting this kind of ugly, toxic racism by hosting the likes of Don Imus, Dennis Prager, William Bennett, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the racist rightwing bigots on CBS Radio. Couric has given a prime national television platform to people who espouse racism and hate in her "Free Speech" segments, while denying that access to people wishing to make a rebuttal.
You make a lot of money hosting hate radio, so you shouldn't be surprised that it spills over to your other enterprises. By hosting and promoting rightwing hate radio, you normalize the very thing that you decry here.
You should consider cleaning up your own "house" instead of acting shocked. You have greatly contributed to it. Now what are you going to do about it?
So the comments that call Bush a 'nazi', 'Hitler', 'liar', 'fascist', 'idiot', 'dictator', and any other number of baselsess, ignorant and profanity laced comments are a-ok with CBS news, but say a few nasty and ignorant things about darling Obama, and all of a sudden such remarks can't be 'tolerated' and a wall goes up around him.
So now he no longer needs to stand up to any public scrutiny on your message boards simply because some people take things too far? Well isn't that convenient. People have been taking the comments about Bush a little too far for about seven years now, and I'm sure nobody has lost any sleep over at CBS because of it. Surely there was no crisis over how to insulate and protect Bush and his supporters from those ignorant individuals who call him a Nazi, lest it damage their prescious sensibilities, as you seem to assume with Obama supporters. This whole action is so transparent its nauseating.
But then, you guys also made up a story about Bush nearly from whole cloth to try and keep him from getting reelected. That didn't work out for you very well, did it? This won't either. Think about it.
And you wonder why the mainstream media is a laughingstock. Get a clue. This isn't how it works anymore.
...n Idol and the talentless images they foist.
"I can't even begin to list with whats wrong with all of this."
You left out the fact that your a moron.
All racist bigots are Republicans.
Meanwhile, right wing bigots who are attacking Obama for his race (see FOX "news" using his middle name to defame him) are basing their attacks on racial prejudice, not any policy of his. There is an ENORMOUS difference between political ignorance and racial intolerance - CBS was right to make this move, and should not be condemned for not blocking other attacks as long as they're not overtly personal or defamatory.
"Mainstream" media being liberal is a joke; even Pat Buchanan and William Kristol have admitted that. Notice how much *** Clinton got for his impeachment, while Bush has suffered so little scrutiny by comparison for all the REAL scandals plaguing his administration.
And thom_77.....Bush really is pushing the Presidency closer to a dictatorship than at any point in our nation's history, so those attacks are actually legitimate.
However, calling George Bush a fascist is an exaggeration based on what he's done. Spouting anti-black and anti-female hate speech is another thing. However, I wish CBS had just taken the more expensive approach: pay somebody to watch comments and delete racist comments.
All white people who have a racist attitude are insecure eunuchs who should not be allowed access to any computer. In fact, there should be a law enacted to take computers out of the hands of white trash racists.
I personally feel that all media outlets, whether they be TV news or newspapers, should continue to have blogs, but require that comments need to be approved before posting it or, better yet, but disable the comments section altogether, since most people on the Internet are either sexual predators or pedophiles anyway.
Another solution would be to require posters to reveal their full name and send into a message board database their mailing address, their phone number, E-mail address and a photo, so such posters would think twice before posting vitriolic, racist garbage.
Funny, how, think-tanked marketing phrases can't quite quell the inherent drives within your base.
all racist bigots are REPUBLICANS.
Also it seems that whenever a liberal says something inflammatory (see Harry Reid, Don Imus, John Kerry), the media and the right wing jump all over them, but conservatives say those types of things all the time (Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, John Gibson), with almost no coverage of the left side's outrage or any media involvement. And I typically see Democrats apologizing and explaining, while Republicans tell us we're stupid and petty for being upset with them. Recall McCain's lack of an apology after singing "bomb, bomb Iran," choosing instead to tell his critics to "get a life."
I think it's safe to say that both sides harbor bigots, but it is MUCH more common among conservatives, especially since the Democratic platform is more geared towards minorities and that's a good proportion of their voter base.
First, it's unfair to racists.
Second, it's unfair to those of us who would like to engage them on ground favorable to us.
Oh, wait, there is a third point. Racism exists and it is newsworthy. Pretending it doesn't exist, for the sake of the tender hides of those targeted and those who would like to believe we are now all better people is just denial. If you like, emplace a digg-like system where readers can mod down offensive comments, while preserving the record OF those opinions.
"Porch monkeys." Snort. Yep - and everyone in the South was a "porch monkey" before air conditioning made it possible to be an INDOOR couch potato.
I mean, God forbid people should sit on their porches and interact with their neighbors, as opposed to Faux TV on the Hi-Def.
That comment alone is a priceless example of the inherent stupidity and willful ignorance required to maintain racism in the face of reality, and I think all such remarks should be allowed to stand in all their awful majesty.
As the idiots out there post racist comments...the mass public can respond with the common sense and brain power lacking in the morons posting such comments.
There couldn't be anything better for Obama. I have heard so many people say he can't be electable because of his race -- let the racists post -- and then let's tear them a part.
-Obama supporter from Tennessee!
If heading off "offensiveness" is the objective here, then the more than abundant stream of venomous comments aimed at the President of the United States should have been turned off a long time ago.
But in fact, I am not advocating the elimination of "free speech", as CBS is; in fact I think CBS is making another serious mistake here, as the Imus debacle was shown to be.
Perhaps the reason for this is to try to sweep under the rug the racial prejudice that exists with liberals and the Democratic Party in America, in order to promote a man of color within their party to the White House.
Posted by One_American at 02:31 PM : May 07, 2007
This is what Rush "the drugged up" Limbaugh said on his show in reference to his Magic Negro song%u2026 "by airing this song my friends (hick-up) I've exposed the drive-thru media for what they are folks". What I don't understand is why Rush Limbaugh, his listeners, and members of the Republic Party can't just consciously accept what they really stand for, it's not like it's a secret or anything.
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by westsidebob
June 4, 2009 8:12 AM PDT
- I disagree strongly with the direction the president is taking our Republic. However, my comments here refer to the journalistic practices of CBS itself.
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Reply to this comment
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See all 37 CommentsIn my fifty five years of watching many elections come and go, I have never seen the sort of biased news coverage that was afforded the president when he was on the campaign trail. I never witnessed the sort of complete and utter character assassination that was afforded Governor Palin when she was on the campaign trail.
Now CBS has denied WND advertising space on its bill boards. WND wanted to post a board that asks; "Where is the birth Certificate?"
Its obvious to anyone with an open mind, such a response from CBS to WND to valid business proposition in a down economy; smacks of political censorship.
In the end, I won't change hearts, minds, or business practices based on politics with this comment. However, I do wish that CBS would be honest enough to admit thay are in the propaganda business not the business of journalism.