BCLocalNews.com is joining the trend away from anonymous comments on our site. Dec. 1, we switch to Facebook’s Commenting platform.
For the last few years, as BCLocalNews.com and our family of websites have garnered more attention, some readers have raised concerns about one issue in particular - the fact we allow visitors to post anonymous comments.
The policy has led to some unpleasant and mean-spirited postings. It’s also raised an inconsistency in our Black Press brand. Our community newspapers don’t print anonymous letters, yet we’ve allowed our websites to become a place where people can hide their identity while occasionally taking shots at one another.
Starting Dec. 1, that policy will change.
People will only be able to comment by using their Facebook account, which means their name, often even their photograph, will be linked to the statements they post.
BCLocalNews.,com is not alone in making this shift. Several media companies are turning to Facebook to power their website commenting.
All of Black Press in B.C., Alberta and Washington State have made the switch.
For those of you who choose not to create a Facebook account, remember we will continue to run letters to the Editor in print - you can submit them to the newsroom.