Comments Interaction Rules Considered

How journalists communicate with readers via comment threads is being discussed at the Guardian.

Managers at the national newspaper are working on producing guidelines which will recommend the most effective ways for reporters to utilise and interact with user comments.

Director of Digital Emily Bell told Journalism.co.uk: “We haven’t got something which is nailed up on the office wall yet saying these are the ten rules for engagement, but we are having internal discussions about what these should be.”

She added that interacting in comment threads represents a specific multimedia skill and is “something you have to learn”.

“For all content-based analysis and commentary websites, if you are serious about having news and analysis and having a community around that, these are new skills that we’ve got to develop.”

Bell also asserted that journalists should delve into user comments for potential stories, paying particular attention to those posted by readers on a specialist interest issue.