KSL.com filtering out some of the 'garbage'

SALT LAKE CITY — In the world of online news, readers' ability to comment on a story has become a mainstay, but sometimes the comments go beyond what is considered civil.

Now one of the state's largest media outlets is working to rein in the negativity sometimes conveyed on online message and comment boards in favor of forums that offer more constructive feedback.

Beginning March 5, KSL.com will shut down its online comment sites to install upgrades that will allow users the ability to monitor and police dialogue posted on its message boards.

KSL.com is scheduled to relaunch the message boards on Monday with the upgrades and continue to install more "tools and resources" designed to create more responsibility for users who choose to make comments.

The changes are intended to enhance the level of conversation among users, Brett Atkinson, general manager of KSL.com, told the Deseret News.

"Originally, when we launched our comment board ... it was intended to be an environment for our users to be able to express their opinions about relevant local news and events," Atkinson said. "But what also happens is, in some cases, (the conversation on) the comment boards becomes ugly, (and) people start to use hate speech, and the conversation begins to erode into pointless bickering."

Atkinson said that while negative participation on the comment boards represents less than 1 percent of total traffic to the KSL.com and deseretnews.com sites, the impact has been profound. He added that the anonymity that comment boards provide has allowed some users to abuse the forums, causing the level of dialogue to diminish.

"That's been a big issue all over the Internet," he said. "We decided … we ought to give it our best effort to find a way to raise the level of dialogue and decrease the anonymity on our Web site."

In addition, features will be included that will create more transparency between users. The new system will offer users the ability to monitor comments and rate them to determine if they meet civility standards.

"For the most part, we are hoping it can be a community-moderated product," Atkinson said. However, the boards will continue to be monitored internally by KSL.com as well, he noted.

A full explanation of the revamping plan will be broadcast this weekend during the 10 p.m. KSL 5 newscast on Sunday.

Atkinson said the goal of the site reconfiguration is to promote a more interactive and fruitful experience for users, including those who may have been offended in the past.

"We're trying to invite more people to come back … and participate in the (comment board dialogue)," Atkinson said. "We built some tools that will help you to filter out some of that garbage.

"We're trying to empower users to really control the content."

e-mail: jlee@desnews.com