-Intro
Attention Grabber: 'Huffington Post' to ban anonymous comments
Thesis: People should be allowed to post anonymous comments on online news articles.
-1st Body: LIMITS THE IDEAS AND OPINIONS THAT THE PEOPLE CAN HAVE WHEN ANONYMOUS
-“People who might have something useful to say are less willing to participate in boards where the tomatoes are being thrown.”, William Grueskin, dean of academic affairs at Columbia’s journalism school.
-The advantage of being able to hear diverse ideas/opinions online will disappear
-I often get more out of the comments, sorry reporter, than I do out of the original article. It would be great to be able to sort through the noise to get to the best comments, but I don't think the best comments are necessarily associated with readers who provide their full name.
-2nd Body: Can preserve privacy or safety
-Many people turn to the anonymity of the Internet for meaningful dialogue about sensitive topics, such as politics or impropriety in the workplace, that prove difficult to discuss face to face, Sarah Sobieraj, a media expert and sociology professor at Tufts University in suburban Boston.
- Forcing them to reveal their real names will impose the usual restrictions on so-called free speech, by exposing them to the effect of the real-existing power differentials in society. Post something your bosses don't like, and you're liable to suffer.
-In a world where employers can search online for anything controversial and people may physically attack someone who said something online that they did not like, being able to comment anonymously is more important than ever.
-3rd Body:
-People should be held accountable for offensive things that they write.
-If I won't say it to your face, I will not say it online, or anywhere else. It's a matter of personal integrity and respect for others.
<<Counterargument>>
-You don't have to be posting something offensive for others to be offended.
-The Wall Street Journal requires real names. Nonetheless, the Wall Street Journal comment pages are full of the most abusive, insulting comments
-Some people post under fake names anyway, so you don't even know if the names are real.
-Conclusion:
Online news sites should allow anonymous comments.
Memorable Thing: You don't want people to be able to find you through your real name on Google after reading what they think was offensive on an online article.
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