worse than smoking

[stitchtowhere]

cbc is running a story about how obesity is an OMG bigger health threat than smoking

Comments

[crash_up]

fuck. i made the mistake of reading some of the comments on that one earlier. WHY DO I DO THAT!?!?!?

[stitchtowhere]

don't do it! comment sections are where logic and integrity go to die long, terrible deaths!

[chavvah]

The CBC comment threads are always such a howling wasteland. Which makes no sense, as most of the coolest folks I know listen to the CBC.

WRETCHED HIVE

[crash_up]

ugh, i know, CBC commenters are THE WORST. and CBC.ca allows comments on stories that they really shouldn't, ie. accidental deaths of babies etc. AND they feature that random comment on the front page so you're exposed to comments even if you're specifically trying to avoid them.

i could on for quite a while about what a huge disappointment CBC's online presence is actually. i expect more from our beloved CBC.

Scum and Villainy?

[pseudohistorian]

Overall, I'd say CBC's actual online content is put together well--and you'd be surprised at just how much you can find if you poke around the whole site--but I don't think they realised at the outset just how many ignorant people were out there in the country, eager to throw in their two cents. :/

They're getting a little better about disallowing comments on more sensitive stories (I've dreaded getting to the bottom of certain Winnipeg news articles, only to find they were closed to commenting), but they should have an option that disables comments for the individual browser. I've commented on stories before, but I can't say I'd miss it too much.

FWIW, CBC.ca is hardly alone in this...you should see the dozens of comments that have to be removed by the moderator from almost any given CNN.com article. I can only imagine with a shudder the nightmare that lurks in the comments on the Fox News website.

Re: Scum and Villainy?

[crash_up]

i supposed the content is put together well enough from a design and concept point of view, but the news content itself is not great. they routinely run poorly written half-stories, low-grade crap directly from the AP wire, and obvious junk science stories in their health section.

i'm definitely not saying they're alone in this. you will find subpar content and scads of heinous comments on any news site at any given time...

i just expect better from the CBC.

Re: Scum and Villainy?

[imperfectmedium]

I expect better from them, too. I've actually started limiting my CBC exposure because I'm so often disappointed.

Re: Scum and Villainy?

[imperfectmedium]

I'm pretty sure the media giant that's run Cross Country Check Up every Sunday afternoon for the last eon knows exactly what a howling wasteland the Canadian commentariat is. It's so bad that Rex Murphy no longer lets anyone get a word in edgewise...he just blathers on reminding them to be quick about it so he can get to more calls. ;)