After disabling online comments on Jan. 26, the Kyiv Post has decided to allow them again and recruited a volunteer team to monitor the postings more closely.
The Kyiv Post shut down the comments section because of the increase in trolls, many with pro-Kremlin postings, and also an increase in violent and profane comments as emotions continue to run high over Russia's war against Ukraine.
“While we didn’t take a scientific survey, we found mixed opinions to shutting down the comments — some readers applauded the decision, while others said they wanted us to restore their ability to comment on issues and stories,” Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner said. “So I hope we will be able to strike a balance. We have recruited a team of moderators to weed out the trolls as well as comments that advocate violence, use profanity or make personal attacks against people.”
Bonner said that if the moderation doesn’t succeed in keeping the comments civil and constructive, the newspaper will disable the comments section again.
