Readers' Debate A Local Murder Trial: “Race” in the Online Public Sphere

Is the future of meat palatable? Perceptions ofin vitromeat as evidenced by online news comments

“…Among others, comment analysis eliminates several potential sources of bias stemming from researcher engagement in the data collection process ( 11 , 32 ) . Commenters may also be more likely to offer their true opinions on an issue since the fear of repercussions is limited by anonymity, allowing comments to serve as ‘reflections of society’s pulse’ ( 37 ) (p. 194). Thus, while they may not be generalizable to a clear population, they are valuable because they represent the way in which ‘ some people’ react to a topic ( 34 , 35 ) (p. 311).…”

A Tale of Two Stories from “Below the Line”

“…Articles that focused on specific political figures' views tended to foster rant sessions. Although such rants added little to the quality of debate, they potentially provide journalists (and the public) with a gauge of public opinion or society's pulse that is spontaneous, immediate, and arguably authentic (Loke 2013 As these examples show, complimenting was typically directed at the information, actions, and arguments put forth by participants, sources in the articles, or journalists, which represented 47, 27, and 26 percent of these posts respectively.…”

Online News Discussions

“…News. Similar to “letters to the editors” in traditional newspapers, these online reader comments encourage user participation in the news process (Loke, 2013). In 2010, 25% of Internet users reported that they had commented on an online news story or a blog article about news (Purcell, Rainie, Mitchell, Rosenstiel, & Olmstead, 2010).…”

“…Research addressing online news comments suggests that anonymous and uncensored conversational spaces can be hotbeds for prejudice (e.g., Loke, 2013). 1 Although extant work has identified major content features of user-generated news comments (e.g., Douai & Nofal, 2012; Loke, 2013; McCluskey & Hmielowski, 2011), the characteristics of those commenters engaged in web news discussions remain unclear. The present study thus offers an integrative approach—including user personality traits and motivations—of individuals who post on news commentary sections and SNSs.…”