Comment Sections

The Center for Media Engagement teamed up with researchers in three countries to examine how the public perceives comment deletion and the moderators who do it. Read More

We tested journalist responses to Facebook comments on news stories in order to find out which responses led to more positive perceptions regarding the news outlets and its comment moderation. The messages were tested in the U.S. and Germany to see how well they worked across different cultures. Read More

We worked with 24 Gannett-owned newsrooms and Coral by Vox Media to engage in the most ambitious test to-date of what comment sections mean to news sites. Read More

The Center for Media Engagement’s previous research showed that uncivil comments can taint the perception of a news site. Now, we look at how those comments affect the moderators of a news site. This study found that uncivil comments: Hurt moderator… Read More

In a new study, the Center for Media Engagement looked at how uncivil comments affect perceptions of a news site and ways journalists can address the problem. Read More

We partnered with 20 U.S.-based news organizations to conduct one of the largest-ever surveys of online news commenters. Read More

By interviewing working journalists, we learned that they do read the comments and respond to commenters. Read More

This report describes what we learned from analyzing 9,616,211 comments people posted to The New York Times website. Read More

We describe the demographic makeup, attitudes, and behaviors of the people who comprise the online commenting world. Read More

People are more willing to get involved in political discussion when they're provided with background information containing pro and con arguments. Read More

There are several benefits - and limits - to using a three-column comment section as opposed to using a traditional one-column section. Read More

For three months, we attempted to code for incivility within online news comments in new ways. In this progress report, we share thoughts on what worked, what didn't, and what research can be done next. Read More

Uncivil comments decreased when a journalist interacted with online commenters. Read More

We have partnered with the National Institute for Civil Discourse to research how to improve online discourse. We began by reviewing academic research on creating civil online spaces. In the coming months, we will conduct a series of focus groups to understand people's thoughts about discussing politics online. Read More