As many of our readers have already noticed, HonestReporting this week changed its comment platform. While the comments still appear underneath all of our articles, they are now hosted on Facebook rather than on our site.
We believe this is an improvement for a number of reasons. First, it eliminates most anonymous comments since people are required to use their real names on Facebook. Second, it creates a level of accountability we believe is vital for a constructive exchange of ideas. Third, the system gives people the option of sharing their comment on their own Facebook page, greatly increasing the reach of the comment beyond our website. This will help more people learn about our work.
The drawback, of course, is that the new system requires a Facebook account in order to add a comment. While the overwhelming majority of our readers already have accounts on Facebook, it is possible that a small number of our readers do not. However, opening an account on Facebook is simple. And those who choose not to use Facebook out of concern for privacy can still open an account without adding any private information or posting updates. They can simply keep the account dormant and only use it to sign into sites such as ours and a growing number of other sites moving to the same platform, including The Times of Israel.
If you don’t already have a Facebook account, you can open one here.
We hope more people will express their views on the topics we cover in our media alerts and blog posts, and we hope the new accountability element will make the discussions more respectful so that even more people want to join. We’re committed to building a community of people concerned about media bias against Israel, and we want to create a space where our readers feel encouraged to express themselves.
