APME study reveals how newspaper editors manage online comments

Newspaper managers and editors strongly support online comments about their daily content according to a new study released by Associated Press Media Editors (APME). Just over half of the respondents indicated that they place a moderate amount of value on commenting—with 14 percent saying they found them highly valuable—as the comment functions encourage an exchange of ideas and valuable feedback.

Publications that switched to an outside platform—such as Facebook or Disqus—noted an improvement in the quality of online discourse thanks to emphasis on readers’ using their real first and last names. The majority of editors (82 percent) said indicated they aren’t planning on eliminating comments in the future.

Click here to view more findings from the APME Online Commenting survey »