Managing the Comments Section: What Works

Rethinking What Comments Are For

First, let's kill the myth that comments exist just to let readers "have their say." That's how you end up with a wall of drive-by opinions that add zero value to journalism. The best news sites use comments to extend the story - encouraging readers to contribute additional context, personal experiences, and expertise that complement the reporting. For instance, when covering local development stories, thoughtful comments from longtime residents often provide historical context that even the best reporters might miss. That's the gold you want to mine for.

The Psychology of Comment Sections

Comment sections have their own weird social dynamics. Drop into any active news site, and you'll spot the regulars - the fact-checkers, the devil's advocates, the class clowns. These people shape the culture of your comments section, for better or worse. Smart moderation means identifying your positive influencers and giving them room to set the tone. When someone leaves a particularly insightful comment, highlight it. When a reader shares relevant expertise, acknowledge it. You're not just moderating content - you're curating a community.

Getting Tactical: What Actually Works

Skip the generic "be nice" guidelines. Instead, be specific about what makes a valuable comment. Sometimes, it makes more sense to ask readers to "add something new to the story." Simple, but it dramatically improved comment quality overnight.

Some practical moves that can make a difference:

• Position your best commenters as unofficial experts in their areas of knowledge
• Create dedicated threads for different aspects of complex stories
• Use highlighted "Editor's Picks" to showcase the type of comments you want to see more of
• Consider limiting comments on certain types of stories (crime reports rarely generate constructive discussion)

The AI Question

Yes, tools like Lasso Moderation can help scale your efforts with the help of AI. They're best at catching the obvious stuff (spam, profanity, hate speech) while human moderators focus on nuance. The real skill is knowing when to let AI handle the grunt work and when to step in personally. When you’re in the process of selecting the right moderation platform vendor, make sure to take all relevant functionalities and what you require from AI to optimize for your moderation team. Moderation teams will burn out trying to read every single comment. Use technology to filter out the noise, then spend your energy on the conversations that matter.

Metrics That Actually Matter

A story with 15 thoughtful comments is worth more than one with 200 flame wars. Instead, track:

• Comment-to-story relevance
• Number of unique commenters (not just the same five people arguing)
• Quality of follow-up discussions
• Reader returns to check responses

No Comment(s)

Some stories just don't need comments. Political hot takes? Breaking crime news? Controversial local issues? Sometimes the best moderation decision is hitting the "comments closed" button. Your readers might complain, but they'll respect you more for maintaining standards than for letting discussions devolve into chaos.

The future of news site comments isn't about finding better ways to police behavior - it's about creating spaces where thoughtful discussion is the norm, not the exception. This means being willing to experiment, fail, and adjust based on what your specific audience responds to.

Your comments section is as much a part of your publication's identity as your headlines. It deserves to be treated that way.

How Lasso Moderation Can Help