Mumbrellacast: Should we allow anonymous comments? Plus defamation law (reform), Go Fund Me and BWS’ branding moves, and Ten’s Beverley McGarvey

If anonymous comments are banned what’s to stop anyone using a pseudonym if they do no want their real name to be exposed? Will a moderator want photographic proof of identity ? Surely moderating comments is enough in most cases ?

I understand the anxiety around anonymous comments, but do we really want to enforce that?

By extension in logic journalists would demand no anonymous tip-offs. Or on the flip side, the AFP would be raiding journalists premises .. oh, hang on.

There is an underlying perception that (i) all anonymous comments are negative and full of bile … indeed many are, but not all (ii) forcing a name to be provided would mean providing your actual name … dream on (said The Pirate).

Isn’t the solution to curate comments and enforce the publisher’s editorial policy that way? For example, SMH does that.

I’d like to believe that this has an altruistic intent, but I think not. This is mainly about protecting business interests.
Get this through and it will kill nearly all comment, good or bad. Our industry is small and tight. Who is going to, publicly, either praise or, particularly, sledge other agencies’ or creatives’ work? Who is going to publicly pan a promiscuous client for yet another move. Or plagiarism.
I do agree that a lot of bitter, ignorant and destructive people hide behind anonymity, and the language is positively fetid, but I think most clear thinking people can see past that. (Maybe attacking the language issue would be a good start; most of these morons would struggle to write five words without the use of an expletive.)
It’s a dilemma but I think we have to live with it. Gagging is neither desirable nor acceptable.