You may have noticed a new badge popping up in the comments section and on Social News profiles. To go along with our Superuser, Networker and Community Moderator Badges, we've added Pundits to the mix.
Commenters earn a Pundit badge by consistently contributing insightful, informative, and engaging commentary. For now, we've only identified Community Pundits on HuffPost Politics articles, but you'll soon see Business Pundits, Green Pundits, and World Pundits. Over time, we'll have a Pundit Badge for each of HuffPost's 23 verticals.
Being a Pundit comes with privileges. Besides having their comments highlighted in the Highlights tab and the Community Pundits box, we also allow our Pundits to leave longer comments.
As you'll see, the political commentary from our Community Politics Pundits springs from all points on the ideological spectrum. In the same way that our Community Moderators and comment moderation staff never moderate based on politics viewpoints, we don't award Pundit Badges based on whether we agree or disagree with that commenter's opinion.
We look at our Community Pundits as conversation starters. They are being recognized for driving discussions and adding value to our news coverage -- regardless of their political leanings.
1. Drive discussions around the news. HuffPost Comments are driven by neither our editors nor our staff moderators. They're driven by you, our readers. While we work hard to moderate the comments in order to keep the discussion civil and create a non-toxic atmosphere, we do love to keep things lively. As a result, we encourage those commenters who ask hard questions and make provocative statements. Sometimes this is as simple as highlighting a point made or even by urging other readers to read more closely. That's exactly what commenter siamao did in asking for a closer reading of a New Yorker article that we linked to:
Folks, here's our dilemma. If you read the full "New Yorker" article, you'll find that it's extremely well written, but scary as h*ll. I tried to summarize one small half-page which talked about the Koch Brothers and their attempts to sabotage the Obama Administration and "destroy progressivism."
2. Make fact-based arguments. If you think about our comment section as an extension of the news story it accompanies, some of the most valuable comments in any given thread are those that contribute new facts to that article or that challenge the article's existing claims. In making your argument, be sure to cite sources and include links where other readers can learn more about the facts. Here's a great example from commenter supergenius02 that's critical of President Obama's campaign reform plan and provides additional reading to back up the argument:
Anyone who actually believes Obama is serious about limiting corporate and union politcal ads spending needs to have their heads examined. Obama and the Democrats exist on big money spending in support of them. Obama alone has gone on 38 political fundraisers just this year alone where tickets for wealthy individuals and corporations & unions cost up to $30,000 a plate with an average haul of $1 million each. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/11/obama-money.html
3. Work around a thesis. Along the same lines as making fact-based arguments, it's also compelling to formulate a thesis and keep your comments focused. Highlighting that thesis or point right away will set the tone for the rest of the conversation, and being consistent in arguing the original point around facts will also help keep other commenters in the thread on topic. That said, we always encourage our community to build arguments around a point, not a person. Check out this great point made by commenter realitytrumpsbull in reaction to the article "Border Patrol Suicides On The Rise":
Is it an important job? Arguably, yes. Should people take vacations periodically, when doing this kind of work? Most definitely. I think being a member of the Border Patrol probably has similar stressors as reported by other people working in law enforcement. Nobody wants to see you coming, because you're The Man, that kind of thing. Well, maybe some people DO like to see the fact that there's someone on the job, keeping the peace, upholding the law, you're talking about a part of the country that was the Wild Wild West for a long time, where it was gun battles and violent rivalries and turf wars, water wars, and now drug wars.
On a related note, sometimes readers have trouble posting their comments. While we use a combination of tools to help moderate the millions of comments we publish monthly, our staff does make mistakes from time-to-time. If you're ever having trouble, please email community-support@huffingtonpost.com with your username and a link to the comment thread. We'll do our best to explain why the comment was deleted or fix the error.
We want to hear your thoughts about the Pundit Badge, other Badges, or HuffPost Comments generally -- let us know in the below comment thread. I'll do my best answer as many questions as I can right in the thread. So fire away!
Follow Adam Clark Estes on Twitter: www.twitter.com/adamclarkestes
Pundit used to mean something, before it was turned into a snide derogatory term, and it just seems like HuffPo is helping.
Many of the conversation starters in the living section, tend to prefer 'facts' which are, shall we say, not congruent with the reality we live in. As do many of the bloggers, lets face it. Will these pundits be selected according to their views on alt med?.
I comment on vaccines and vaccinations. I comment a lot and my comments are often based on researching and discussing the specific claims made by vaccination opponents. Do that enough and you get accused of being a shill for Big Pharma.
Those who proclaim it, have of course, zero evidence to back their claim. It is McCarthyism. Even worse, because there were some Communists in the US government. There's no evidence or logic to these claims.
Yet despite these facts, the comment policy is not enforced against those whose comments make that claim over and over and over and over again.. I can't help but think that part of the reason they aren't enforced is because of the alternative medicine orientation of HP.
1) I have seen the comment, "good morning" scrubbed out.
2) I have seen posters say, "I scrubbed that post because I don't like the commentor" (never mind, they've never met the commentor - only seen their writings)
3) The "Flag" system is completely abused. I've seen groups of commentors "flag" a post because the comment they are 'flagging' supports some issue that the far frigthwingers don't support.
4) I have been "flagged" by far frightwinged posters - and have even been temporarily banned for no good reason.
5) The entire "flagging" system has turned into a game. The game is: "Who can get a commentor flagged to the point of being banned."
What makes the "flag" game b/zzar0 is that - the more you flag the better your chances, with HP, of being rewarded and "promoted" to "Monitor" .... huh? Whatever
It is all of those things, and more, that have turned and is turning HP into a rag blog. Not sure how much longer I'll be visiting this blog. I tend to be attracted to blogs the reflect intelligence - not H8mongering.
The system is a joke.
I have on several occasions attempted rational fact based discourse with people badged as "Pundit". In every case but one, their arguments dissolved into name calling -- always the last resort of the ignorant.
I have had posts removed for no reason as well, although I am not certain by whom.
The badge system has totally destroyed the open and democratic (as in "equal voice for all", not the party) nature of HuffPo.
"The badge system has totally destroyed the open and democratic (as in "equal voice for all", not the party) nature of HuffPo."
BTW: I don't expect either of our posts will last very long -- I have a hunch they will be scrubbed like many other rational posts are.
To me thats the worse badge of all....
Your peer gets a "crumb" to dictate freedom of speech and you don't...and why was this kind of thinking promoted in the first place? Why have a system that literally pits people, the people without real power, to make decisions on others...this site is a major media player making lots and lots of $$ for their corporate sponsors; do you think censorship wasn't part of the deal?
This is censorship without responsibility and it should not go unchecked. Supposedly, HP has an AI that was purchased named Julia--and it's intuitive. It's supposed to learn what attack words are used, etc and delete those post--we all know it doesn't work. Actually, I don't believe it's even in use and that it's a scam. Instead, HP gets commenters to work for them for free, cutting off rights all over the place while they rake in profit...
think about it...then you'll understand why they are only addressing "cool" badges.
I would like to think the majority of comment posters are adults who are interested in expressing their views, getting and providing feedback on other views, and learning. Therefore, I feel HP's resources would be better spent implementing (as others have suggested) a censorship notification and appeals process rather than awarding badges. I also think if a given censor has an inordinate amount of censorship actions overturned on appeal, they should be relieved of their censorship duties.
Maybe HP already has such a porcess in place. However, in my experience, this process is not working well.
For what its worth, I'm pretty sure this will be my last comment on HP for quite some time.
I've been reading through the comments. And I'm noticing a pattern. There's a lot of people who feel disgruntled. It seems they're ticked off about moderation. (I gripe about it here and there. Frankly, the moderators save me from my quick tongue and happy fingers more often than not. I snack on trolls. I'm not always a sweetie pie, or an adult. My usual response is to post a "Hi Moderators. How's everything in the Moderator Room? Are you reading? Of course you are! Are you having fun? Well I'm not! You had no call to delete me. You're being mean - bad moderators. Bad! And I just thought I'd tell you so!" and then I get over it. Or I once or twice threatened to leave. Which lasted approximately 5 minutes because...I'm addicted to the place. I'm a postaholic. I don't want to be cured.
But something that occured to me - why don't you have chat rooms here? People who are wanting to really vent, or feel they have more to say than can be said on a thread, could go to chat. You could set them up on Huffpo - but in a separate way so that people have to sign up (same deal your name and email) and it's a 3 strike deal if they abuse it. One time, they're told to chill. Twice they get the stink eye. Third time - bye.
Just a suggestion.
If the commentator above is any example, you should be ablel to see the problem.
Again, it is moderators who abuse the trust placed in them, and our inability to expose that abuse.
http://southpawbeagle.com/2010/05/03/new-commenter-badges-on-hp-lead-to-strife-racism-violence-civil-unrest/
and this:
http://southpawbeagle.com/2010/05/09/hp-introduces-more-badges-on-the-cusp-of-its-badg/#comments
Although it's probably not abused as much as the Moderator, or "Flying Rat" badge, I sure hope the new wears off of the ability of Pundits to trick up their comments with the fancy bells and whistles pretty soon. My hat's off to those who use it judiciously, or not at all. Thanks again to HP for trying to impose an artificial hierarchy of whose comments we're supposed to think are more important.
In closing I must stay that the badges are over the top- and is emblematic of our Baby-boomer driven culture - Always taking things too far. Why?