This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Though long an admirer of George Pyle's editorials, I must take mild exception to his most recent one ("Your community needs your words and ideas," July 6). Wanting to have Tribune readers submit more letters-to-the-editor, Pyle deplores the increasing popularity of online comments, calling them a "firehose of dumb." Though acknowledging that some comments are "thoughtful, witty, and representative enough to make worthwhile reading," he states that many more are "harsh, uninformed, name-calling and downright hateful."
I myself am a longtime devotee of online comments. By enabling the reader to post an immediate response to some story or editorial, online comments promote reader interest and engagement. In contrast, a letter to the editor takes days to be published, and writers are limited to only one letter per month.
I agree with Pyle that many online comments are harsh and/or uninformed, but it's easy to skip over those and focus on other comments and debates that are thoughtful and educated. Indeed, I find I often learn more from the online comments than I do from the original story or letter.
With today's technology, online reader comments will only increase in popularity. I see this trend as "democracy in action" and think the Tribune should do all it can to encourage it.
Thomas Huckin
Salt Lake City