I want to flag a shift in the Gazette’s editorial policy. From 1 June, we will no longer allow anonymous commenting on our website.
When online comment sections emerged (and the Gazette was late to the party in the 2000s), anonymity was generally perceived to be a democratic virtue. Enabling anonymity lowered barriers to participation and encouraged candour. The Gazette wanted people to feel able to speak freely. We still do.
Across much of the media, however, perceptions of how digital and social media ought properly to be deployed have changed. Reputable publishers and platforms have either removed anonymous commenting or moved towards identity-based participation. Unverified accounts have proved too easy to abuse and too difficult to moderate at scale.
The Gazette has been a prisoner of its own success to some degree. We get lots of comments on our material. Most are excellent. Facetiousness and ribaldry are not proscribed. We are not po-faced. But this is a magazine for one of the country’s most eminent professional constituencies. We can no longer be seen effectively to encourage behaviour that would be unacceptable in person or under attribution.
To be blunt, too many people are now using the cloak of anonymity to post content that is in breach of our terms and conditions. Uncivil, aggressive and even defamatory language is significantly more common where users are not identifiable. ‘Communication without retribution’ distorts debate; and exposure to toxic material can erode readers’ trust in the journalism itself – the core product the comments are supposed to complement.
This is especially true where a small minority, often those with the strongest or most extreme views, drive the comment threads. In that context, anonymous comment sections can give a misleading impression of consensus while amplifying voices that would carry less weight in an open, attributable forum.
Unsuitable material can be deleted after the fact, but the Gazette’s small digital team has many better things to do. More importantly, it is getting in the way of the vast majority of solicitors (in particular) who use the commenting facility constructively and in good faith.
You are a regulated community founded on ethical conduct. This should be manifest below the line as well as above it.
For details of changes to our online terms and conditions, see Site terms.
