The ethics of censoring blog comments

You post a blog. A reader posts an offending response using an assumed name. Another reader also posting anonymously requests you remove the previous offensive comment.

Your response

"Re: deleting the comment

My policy is to let idiots speak freely. It makes them easier to spot."

This exchange is not academic. It just happened on Nick Carr's blog on the immigration debate.

Blogging is a young profession which cannot always turn to print media for precedents. I would be interested to hear what my readers think would be the best course from the 5 below.

a) Avoid blogging about political or controversial topics in first place

b) Moderate comments and delete the offending comment

c) Email back to commenter to re-post using cleaner language

d) Delete the offending comment when the second reader protested

e) Let comment stay and react like Nick did

Comments

[Dennis Howlett]

I'm not sure it's possible to be totally proscriptive. Naturally we all want people to be considered in their views but then passion has a habit of brining out bot the best and worst in people. My personal preference is to moderate for profanity and politely ask the commenter whether they really want their words to go on public display. If so then sure, I'd go with whatever anyone says but I absolutely would point up my stance on that issue. But then readers will decide either by kicking back or going elsewhere.

[Anil Kurnool]

Vinnie,

If you start worrying about what others are commenting, editing, deleting etc, you will end up as a editor.

Please use your energies to give us all your insight into trends of IT and newage economy.

Regards,
Anil Prasad

[viinnie mirchandani]

Anil, good point - reality is we are part time journalists, editors, analysts, janitors...blogging is a microcosm of media, in fact more so since we want to encourage "read-write" conversation...

[Sanjay Dattatri]

Hi Vinnie,
Read your blog regularly. Like it.
I think it is best to ignore trollers and indecent people. If they have a valid point, ignore the profanity and deal with the issue. If they have nothing constructive to add, ignore them totally. I do that in life and I am sure it will work in blogging too. My 2cents.

[Deepak]

Given the nature of my blog, trolling is pretty much a non-issue. That said, it is an interesting question. I think on personal blogs, if you choose to blog on "controversial" topics, you should expect vitriol and trolling. The best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them. Censoring doesn't usually yield the intended impact anyway. On corporate blogs, I suspect some level of moderation would be acceptable.