ABSTRACT

Best practices in the moderation of audience participation in news websites have evolved over time from placing emphasis on filtering citizen input to avoid legal and quality issues, to fostering a virtuous spiral by selecting and highlighting positive contributions to the newsflow. Audience participation has long been part of journalism, from letters to the editor to talkback calls in radio programs. Online media have increased the amount, diversity, and ubiquity of input that citizens can contribute to news products, and social networks and blogs have expanded public conversations about current events beyond the boundaries of news websites.