By Susan Matthews, APR, principal

I’ve said on many an occasion: “If I want to get really down on humanity, all I need to do is read some reader comments in response to an online article.” Too often these jibes are beyond nasty; they’re downright cruel.

In conversations with reporters from the Indianapolis Star, the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere, I hear them lament that they hesitate to interview some people for fear that the innocent interviewee will suffer taunts and insults through online reader feedback. How sad and ironic that in the spirit of increased dialogue, we’re limiting the stories, people and ideas that are offered to us through the news media.

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