[short URL to this page - http://tinyurl.com/TheNewsTribuneSuppression]
The News Tribune is suppressing comments from their readers on the two most recent articles on prior Pierce County Sheriff Mark French who was convicted of possession of child pornography.
At the bottom of this post, I'll provide links to other papers (and a blog) which are not suppressing comments:
From: Stacy Emerson
Date: Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Subject: Mark French article - comments disabled
To: webmaster@thenewstribune.com,
adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com
I have a question -
Why can't comments be made on either of the last two Mark French articles?
I've been keeping a log of the articles, and see that the first three articles allowed comments, but not the forth. As for the fifth article, today's article, it allowed 21 comments to be made, then you disabled the comments, ultimately banning new comments and hiding the 21 comments that had already been made.
I believe I've probably read every article in the last 5+ years the TNT has published relating to child sexual abuse, child pornography, sex offenders, etc., and I've never seen the comments disabled.
Why now? Is it because he was a public figure?
Stacy Emerson
---------------------------------------------------------
Ex-Pierce County sheriff seeks to vacate child-porn conviction
Published: 05/18/11 8:09 am | Updated: 05/17/11 9:43 pm
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/17/1669159/retired-pierce-county-sheriff.html
58 Comments
Ex-sheriff wants to clear conviction for child porn
Published: 05-18-11 - 12:05 am
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/18/1669518/ex-sheriff-wants-to-clear-conviction.html
1 comment
Hearing postponed on former sheriff's conviction
Published: 05-21-11 - 12:05 am
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/21/1673849/pierce-county-hearing-postponed.html
14 Comments
Former Pierce County sheriff gets conviction vacated, gun rights restored
Published: 07-08-11 - 3:55 pm
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2011/07/08/former-pierce-county-sheriff-gets-conviction-vacated-gun-rights-restored/
Comments Disabled
Porn conviction erased for former sheriff
Published: 07-09-11 - 12:05 am | Updated: 07-09-11 - 6:07 am
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/07/09/1738470/porn-conviction-erased.html
11 Comments (at the time of recording)
Comments now Disabled (with 21 comments now hidden)
From: Swenson, Ian <Ian.Swenson@thenewstribune.com>
Date: Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 11:44 AM
Subject: RE: Mark French article - comments disabled
To: Stacy Emerson
Stacy,
Comments were disabled because of (A) the sensitivity of the issue and (B) the lack of quality and constructiveness of the comments.
While we may not have disabled comments on Mark French articles before, we have done it many times on other articles of a similar sensitivity in the past.
Sorry to disappoint!
Ian Swenson | Web Developer
The News Tribune
253.274.7388
ian.swenson@thenewstribune.com
From: Stacy Emerson
Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2011 12:12 PM
Subject: Re: Mark French article - comments disabled
To: Ian.Swenson@thenewstribune.com
Thank you for the reply, Ian.
I cannot recall any prior article having the comments disabled--unless they were republished articles from another paper. Can you tell me at least a few of them to refresh my memory?
Stacy
From: Ian.Swenson@thenewstribune.com
Date: Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 12:18 PM
Subject: Re: Mark French article - comments disabled
To: Stacy Emerson
Stacy,
The last major series of ones we turned off had to do with the last time gay marriage and gays in the military was the topic du jour. We’ve also turned off comments on stories here or there since then, but nothing stands out. They’re usually along the lines of race and sexual orientation. But more broadly, it’s when the majority of the comments need to be moderated.
I turned off the blog comments yesterday before it was posted. I wanted to see today the quality of the comments on the story on the main site, but sadly not many passed our commenting guidelines. Instead of having to monitor it closely throughout the day, I just shut them off.
Ian Swenson | Web Developer
The News Tribune
253.274.7388
ian.swenson@thenewstribune.com
From: Stacy Emerson
Date: Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 12:23 PM
Subject: Re: Mark French article - comments disabled
To: Ian.Swenson@thenewstribune.com,
adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com,
karen.peterson@thenewstribune.com
Ian -
I RSS Feed most of these types of articles as well as many others, and have a hard drive crammed full of comments which were virulent, when the ones posted today were not. I'm sorry, but your answer is not satisfactory.
Stacy Emerson
(From the top dog - the TNT Editor)
From: Karen.Peterson@thenewstribune.com
Date: Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Subject: Re: Mark French article - comments disabled
To: Stacy Emerson
It may not be satisfactory, Stacy, but it's true. We've done it a number of times. Karen
Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless
From: Stacy Emerson
Date: Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 1:09 PM
Subject: Re: Mark French article - comments disabled
To: Karen.Peterson@thenewstribune.com,
Ian.Swenson@thenewstribune.com,
adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com,
dale.phelps@thenewstribune.com
Not sure what to say, other than to ask if you'd be willing to provide at least a short list of other articles you've done this with. You sure didn't su[p]press the volume of comments on your Brame articles, your Hecht articles, the first 3 related French articles, your Washam series, Lakewood Four, the grandfather with the child pornography, the military couple who killed their child, the teenager who killed the girl in South Hill, your regular "PSA's" on registered sex offenders, etc., etc., etc., etc.
Stacy
<end of thread>
Here's our thread on facebook (07-10-2011, 2:30PM):
Here's links to other papers (and a blog) which are not suppressing comments:
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/07/09/2095188/man-convicted-of-child-porn-gets.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015558376_apwasheriffchildporn.html
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Man-convicted-of-child-porn-gets-gun-rights-back-1459236.php
http://sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com/2011/07/wa-sheriff-mark-french-child-porn.html
