The BBC HYS comment section...

[BFTD]

51 minutes ago, Ric said:

I totally get the "the comments section of [xxxx] is toxic and more fool you for engaging with them", and it's a completely valid point. I just feel the BBC, considering their status, shouldn't be creating a vile little echo chamber promoting falsehoods and misinformation. I'm sure I'll get the "...but that's the BBC for you" responses but I'm also sure some will see where I'm coming from here.

It is a bit weird for a national, publicly-funded institution to allow their website to be splattered with hate-filled trolling. Perhaps they consider that they should accurately reflect the personality of the British public?

Then again, they're extremely selective about the articles that they allow people to comment on, so you do get the impression that there's an agenda there. It's alright for some stories, but not others, apparently.

[scottsdad]

If you open up anything at all to comments, you get trolls. Even this fine forum here has a handful, most often coming in with a new name, throw around red dots and bigoted comments, then vanish. Days later a new account comes and does the same. 

The BBC always gets very polarised between the pro-SNP and pro-Unionist. 

[Jimi Shandrix]

39 minutes ago, Dawson Park Boy said:

How condescending!!

Maybe you’re the weirdo?

Oh jesus.  I've heard about you. Bye.

[BFTD]

2 minutes ago, scottsdad said:

If you open up anything at all to comments, you get trolls. Even this fine forum here has a handful, most often coming in with a new name, throw around red dots and bigoted comments, then vanish. Days later a new account comes and does the same. 

The BBC always gets very polarised between the pro-SNP and pro-Unionist. 

Aye, but some websites are worse than others. They all seemed to have set up camp at the Beeb last time I looked, with nothing worth reading, despite being moderated. I supposed there's only so much sewage workers can do when overloaded with effluent.

Not quite the same, but the IMDb forums used to be deluged with trolls too, and their answer was to just shut them down. With more businesses taking themselves off platforms like Facebook too, I can see that becoming a popular solution.

[Ric]

14 minutes ago, NotThePars said:

It’s usually the Yessers who have the brain worms to post pointlessly in the comments section maybe this is the clearest sign yet of a lack of enthusiasm in the indy camp

^^ clearly written by someone who doesn't frequent HYS much. Which, to be fair is probably a good thing. It's not a nice place to visit.

  

7 minutes ago, BFTD said:

It is a bit weird for a national, publicly-funded institution to allow their website to be splattered with hate-filled trolling. Perhaps they consider that they should accurately reflect the personality of the British public?

Then again, they're extremely selective about the articles that they allow people to comment on, so you do get the impression that there's an agenda there. It's alright for some stories, but not others, apparently.

For the first part, that comes a little too close to the "we must hear both sides; on one side we have 97% of all the world's scientists and on the other we have climate change denier Nigel Lawson".... and that's not just hyperbole, the BBC were rightly given a slap on the wrist for that particular bit of nonsense.

As for the second, they certainly have been. I had wondered if it was their way to gauge what the arguments would be for indy2, then I thought perhaps the BBC feel opening up more Scottish stories, and they tend to be the contentious ones, is in some way showing the BBC cares about Scotland and Scottish issues. It's probably neither of those and it's just luck of the draw. It's a bit odd though.

[BFTD]

8 minutes ago, Ric said:

For the first part, that comes a little too close to the "we must hear both sides; on one side we have 97% of all the world's scientists and on the other we have climate change denier Nigel Lawson".... and that's not just hyperbole, the BBC were rightly given a slap on the wrist for that particular bit of nonsense.

As for the second, they certainly have been. I had wondered if it was their way to gauge what the arguments would be for indy2, then I thought perhaps the BBC feel opening up more Scottish stories, and they tend to be the contentious ones, is in some way showing the BBC cares about Scotland and Scottish issues. It's probably neither of those and it's just luck of the draw. It's a bit odd though.

That's a Dara O'Briain bit, isn't it?  

Everyone will have their own opinions on the BBC's comments policy; mine is that they're terrified of upsetting the vocal rump of their readers in Middle England, who want to mouth off about certain subjects, but will express outrage if someone else does likewise on others. So, you'll see comments locked on articles about the Royals when the Queen carks it (for example), but anything to do with the Jocks is fair game.

[GordonS]

2 hours ago, Proposition Joe said:

The Scotsman and Guardian BTL stuff is worse imo.

They need a dotting system.

They have a dotting system on the Daily Heil site. The stuff that gets the most upvotes is terrifying.

2 hours ago, alta-pete said:

Why get so wound up over people holding a different opinion to your own? 

Because people act on their opinions. If racists just went around thinking black people were rubbish but never saying or doing anything about it, that would be fine. I think we know that's not how it works though.

Having a space were lots of people can tell lies that harm others is actively dangerous.

[Ric]

2 minutes ago, BFTD said:

That's a Dara O'Briain bit, isn't it?  

The Nigel Lawson shtick? No, it's a real thing... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43699607

[BFTD]

4 minutes ago, Ric said:

The Nigel Lawson shtick? No, it's a real thing... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43699607

Tremendous  

Here's Dara rightfully getting pissed off about such things, many years earlier:

 

[alta-pete]

12 minutes ago, GordonS said:

They have a dotting system on the Daily Heil site. The stuff that gets the most upvotes is terrifying.

Because people act on their opinions. If racists just went around thinking black people were rubbish but never saying or doing anything about it, that would be fine. I think we know that's not how it works though.

Having a space were lots of people can tell lies that harm others is actively dangerous.

I’d expect any racism to be culled. 
 

@Ric ‘s point was about Scottish Independence which, as far as I’m aware,  hasn’t happened yet. Therefore, very little of the comments could be described as either facts or lies - it’s all conjecture. On both sides. 

[coprolite]

Bbc comments are a valuable insight into the psyche of the nation. 

Absolute dribbling simpletons from all points on the political spectrum.  Representative only of morons. 

[Ric]

1 minute ago, alta-pete said:

 

@Ric ‘s point was about Scottish Independence which, as far as I’m aware,  hasn’t happened yet. Therefore, very little of the comments could be described as either facts or lies - it’s all conjecture. On both sides. 

That is quite some argument you're making there, not sure it really holds up to scrutiny though.

 

[Boo Khaki]

Honestly not surprised that a UK-wide BBC website has an enormous pool of BritNats gibbering shite who drown out a vastly outnumbered smaller pool of ScotNats gibbering shite.

Stands to reason when Scots are 8-9% of the total UK population.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

2 hours ago, Dawson Park Boy said:

How condescending!!

Maybe you’re the weirdo?

You make up stories about you and your awful wife going maskless in shops. Sit the f**k down.