Now it’s your turn

If you have ever read one of our articles and wanted to respond immediately to something you liked or disliked, now you have the chance. \nThis week we launched our new reader comment system on idsnews.com. Readers can now post comments or questions for any article on our site. Taking traditional print journalism and creating an interactive conversation with readers is exciting and can produce interesting debate and discussion. However, this can only be accomplished if this new system is not abused.\nAs a journalist, I respect freedom of speech and expression as much as anyone. But at the same time I acknowledge that free speech does not offer a blanket protection to say whatever you want.\nEspecially on the Internet, it is easy to hide under the shroud of anonymity, and post words and comments that would never be spoken face to face. So I ask that when posting comments you extend respect and courtesy even when views are expressed that are contrary to your own. By commenting on the site you agree not to transmit unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, profane or indecent information. Using the site to violate or infringe upon the rights of others, including privacy, copyright or trademark rights will also not be allowed. The IDS reserves the right to remove comments that violate these terms. \nWhile many will abide by these principles, it is without doubt that some will not. Because of this we included a flagging system where you, the readers, can self-police offensive comments by clicking the “flag” icon. Once flagged, IDS editors will determine if that post does violate our policies, and if so we will remove it.\nAs other news sites that have installed similar reader comment systems have shown, the disruption and abuse by a few can spoil this new opportunity for everyone. However, if the rules are followed this new dialogue that we share with readers can open new ideas and exchanges that were not possible before.