ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by returning to the focus on user commentary as disruptive engagement, examining the debate about whether the field of digital journalism should abandon comments (as some organizations have done) or find ways to encourage more productive commentary by critically assessing and reflecting on currently insufficient moderation strategies (e.g., those that are focused on policing and banning instead of being engaging and encouraging). It proposes an Integrated Comment Moderation Model that captures best practices and collaboration among user-driven moderation, organizational policies for encouraging more productive commentary, and innovations in the areas of automation in moderation. Research suggests serious concerns in the news industry about the quality (e.g., civility) of user comments. User comments often exhibit users’ overtly critical engagement with the media products they consume and with the elite actors they report upon. Unsurprisingly so, user comments are perceived by many as disruptive to the field of journalism, resulting in many news organizations abandoning their commenting features.
