Bottom-Line: Commenters Buried

Everybody has an opinion, but those with some of the best and most interesting opinions often end up getting buried.

We all get buried one way or another, but the type of “buried” in question refers to burying the news. Below just about any news story on websites nowadays are reader “comments.” This is where society’s true rainbow of opinions and ideas can be found — buried at the bottom.

Prior to the Internet, reader opinions were relegated to the opinion pages in daily newspapers, which were often assimilated into a collective of “letters to the editor” briefs dominated by those with the loudest gripes, or those letters that the section editors could most efficiently put into plain English.

But nowadays these “opinions” aren’t limited in size or by a censor, and the comments sections are arguably where some of the most entertaining thoughts in cyberspace can be found. However, a strong argument can be made against the preceding opinion. Too often among these comments you find misinformation, bigotry, hate, bickering between commenters and blatantly bad grammar.

Those instances aside, whether you agree or disagree with their opinions, many commenters are often thoughtful and entertaining — at times they can be both.

“Brokie” noted an error on a date in an article on InsuranceJournal.com on a suit in California against Hyundai that claims the manufacturer inflated its 40 mpg claim: “The article references ‘1010 and 2011 models. Would that ‘1010 model be the one that the Flintstones drove?” On the same article “Mike N” stated: “You’ll recognize the 1011 model study immediately, as the fuel efficieny is measured in brontasaurus burgers.” The erroneous date has since been corrected. Note to Mike N: It’s “efficiency” and “brontosaurus.”

Commenters on a recent article on CNN.com about Yahoo!’s email being hacked prompted the news site to post an article dedicated to the comments, many of which revolved around the theme of “who still uses Yahoo! anyway.”

“I’m surprised that many people still use Yahoo. Wonder if those same users still have 8-Track tapes too?” wrote one commenter.

A commenter with the handle TwitHappens wrote: “Now someone can finally respond to that Nigerian lawyer who wants give me $12 million if I just give him my checking acct number…”

Of course commenters had their say about the article on the comments.

Wrote one: “So now CNN is writing articles about user comments? Either it’s a slow news day. Or real journalism is just too hard.”

Sometimes.