Comments on: DeafHope Featured On CNN

By: observer

observer — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:59:10 +0000

Thank you, Shane. I’m somewhat mollified by this notification. I’m looking forward to the clarification because I am truly confused.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:44:07 +0000

Hello all,

I want everyone to know that as a result of this valuable discussion and the poignant points made by commenters who disagreed with our decision to remove some comments in this blog, we are developing a new terms and conditions that will better communicate our expectations for DeafDC.com commenters and visitors. Please expect a blog on this topic when we are prepared to announce the new terms and conditions.

Thanks for your patience on this matter.

By: anonymouse

anonymouse — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:11:04 +0000

Don’t worry. Observer and Esposito seems to have taken the high road and stopped commenting. I think the thread will die out on it’s own. And Feldman can get more flames if he closes it. Some people already finish lose respect for him now becauae he avoiding the issue anyway. I think it’s better, leave alone and let it go away.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 03:34:17 +0000

All right, can we close the comments on this particular blog post? This is going nowhere.

By: Bad Demographic

Bad Demographic — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:45:06 +0000

I wouldn’t be so fast to conclude that blogs are themselves not journalism. The line between journalism and blogging by independents is drawing pretty thin, especially when bloggers do their own investigative reporting that seems to get to the substantive point of things rather than journalists who, for example, focus on HRC’s pantsuits.

I do agree, however, that I would be interested in a blog article by someone like Observer with detailed disagreement backed up by some verifiable facts. And a name, so we can all understand where Observer is coming from and what biases or axes to grind he or she has. And, believe me, such a blog article will be dissected ad nauseam.

But then again, it’s easy to make anonymous, unsourced attacks on someone on someone else’s blog.

By: a friend

a friend — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:33:49 +0000

Yes, Shane manages DeafDC. But managing this Web site is not limited to reading comments. There’s a lot more involved — and a lot of it, I don’t even understand. :)

I was just trying to point out that no one’s perfect. And your bringing up Woodward and Bernstein with Watergate honestly made me look at the screen in disbelief. It’s one thing to report in a NEWSPAPER that a crime was committed and start investigative reporting. It’s another thing to publish unsubstantiated comments on an non-journalistic blog, one that is about opinions.

Blogs are not journalism. Blogs are not news. They’re interactive sites that allow people to communicate their opinions and perspectives with each other. My feeling is, if you want to provide proof or another viewpoint about an issue, write your own blog (under your real name) and submit it to DeafDC. Let there be two viewpoints and a nice, calm discussion rather than one that goes raging out of control because people just start yelling at each other.

It’s a lot easier to yell at someone online than in person. I wonder what this conversation would have been like if it had been held in a public forum with people present (and us knowing all the participants involved).

By: Bad Demographic

Bad Demographic — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:55:30 +0000

For Erin to participate in a discussion with an anonymous unnamed individual (you) over vague and unsourced allegations about someone else makes about sense as participating in a circular firing squad. There are no winners.

By: observer

observer — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:07:43 +0000

EE, I’m not going to bother to dignify that little outburst with a response.

By: Erin Esposito

Erin Esposito — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:03:30 +0000

Observer,

I forgot to mention that when you said “and presto, big names in the community that have been allied with Ms. Rems-Smario for a while are pulled in to make comments” - that by having those “big names in the community” support Julie Rems-Smario is a testament in itself of her superb leadership. Otherwise those “big names in the community” would have nothing to do with her, eh?

Do you have any “big names in the community” supporting your agenda, Observer?

By: Erin Esposito

Erin Esposito — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:59:34 +0000

Observer -

You said (loud and clear, by the way) “IT IS HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO MONITOR AND RESPOND TO CONTROVERSY, ESPECIALLY CONTROVERSY THAT HE CAUSED.”

Shane didn’t CAUSE anything. So quit the pressure on him. We ALL have lives to live. We have jobs, families, committments, and so forth. Give the guy a fricking break!