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- Title
Free Press vs. Free Speech? The Rhetoric of "Civility" in Regard to Anonymous Online Comments.
- Authors
Reader, Bill
- Abstract
This study explores the issue of "civility" in anonymous comments posted to news media websites. A textual analysis of journalistic essays about the issue and more than 900 audience-member responses to those essays suggests a disconnect between professional journalists and most forum participants over the purpose of such "virtual village squares," particularly with regard to the role of anonymity. Using the theoretical framework of "concordance," the analysis suggests that journalists and audiences have very different conceptualizations about "civility" and the role of anonymity in civil discourse.
- Subjects
NEWS websites; NEWS audiences; INTERNET forums; ANONYMITY; INTERNET users; COURTESY; PSYCHOLOGICAL feedback
- Publication
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 2012, Vol 89, Issue 3, p495
- ISSN
1077-6990
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/1077699012447923