Without a net
The BBC had been moderating public comments on its Web site, but that job has overwhelmed the staff. So they're ditching the moderation.
Our article comments, once activated, also will be unmoderated. Comments on our blogs already are, by and large, although blog owners can go in and edit or remove comments in extreme cases.
We've received a number of complaints about the tone of some comments in the Letters blog and, to a lesser extent, on The Chalkboard, but beyond that, comments on our blogs have been largely civil. That speaks well of the participants in the community we're trying to build. Yay, y'all! Let's keep it up.