"Public posts to these forums do not represent the views of freep.com or the Detroit Free Press. We do not review comments prior to those posts appearing on the site. If you see an abusive comment that you would like to have reviewed for possible removal, please contact us at..."

However, The Detroit News, the paper’s neighbor and direct competitor, has a much better approach to moderation when allowing readers to share their thoughts.

“The Detroit News Online does not tolerate offensive language in its forums. The News will kill offensive posts. Participants can and will be denied access for violating our acceptable use policy. Notice a problem? Tell us.”

Unlike the Free Press, the News posts a user’s name, city and state when a comment goes live. I took a look at the comment form, and was pleased to see the information (age, phone number, e-mail) I was required to supply to make sure my comment was of the highest integrity. The personal information, as the questionnaire points out, is for follow-up purposes with News staff members.

“Why we ask: We require some information for verification. We do not publish phone numbers or e-mail addresses. Your comments will be considered for the printed edition of The Detroit News only if full name and city are provided.

There was also another reminder of proper commenting etiquette:

“Do: Show courtesy toward other writers. No name-calling, please.
Do not: Copy and paste material from another Web site, other than a brief quote. Letters must be original.”

I applaud the News for having such a thorough set of guidelines for comments. By making it clear what is and isn’t accepted, readers have a clear understanding of what is allowed on the site, and more importantly, why a comment might not have made it into the forum. Too often, commenters aren’t held accountable for their thoughts; with a policy like this, it’s a step in the toward making postings of any kind, whether it’s a blog, a message on a board, or a comment on a news story, more credible.