Cornwall Ontario – It’s difficult, running a small independent newspaper; especially one that allows its viewers to post comments which is becoming rare now. Many newspapers have either stopped allowing comments or copped out and use a comment server like disqus.
Jules has become famous, or infamous here on CFN. It can be trying as we approve comments. It’s not a perfect science, but it does consume time and resources. Ironically some of the numpties at City Hall thought that Jules was a creation of yours truly, but she’s simply a woman in her golden years who grew up here in Cornwall and was around for the best and worst of experiences before moving to Ottawa where she worked for the Federal Government. I’ve always thought her as a true representative of the many people in Cornwall, flawed, but meaning well at times and even occasionally capable of doing some good.
Sadly, after one of her latest outbursts, we have decided to end Jules’ time on CFN. While she’s had over 5,000 comments posted, we’ve not published over 20,000 other comments she’s tried to make. It takes time to handle the load. And that time needs to be focused on other areas of the newspaper.
You can be a child of the 60’s and 70’s like yours truly and believe that all voices matter, but sometimes some voices don’t matter as much as others no matter how Animal Farm that may sound.
With the cacophony of voices that exist on anti social media now sometimes you just have to hit the dimmer down switch sometimes.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all, including Jules, who I’m sure knows that she’s been warned many many, many, many times about posts actually being related to the subject, and that even if you don’t like the PM or Premier, you can’t use certain abusive terms on CFN.
Our Vision and Mission statements still stand. We still want voices to have a safe platform to be heard where they might not have another, but sometimes, even if rarely, you have to take a stand.
Take care Jules. The best to you and your family.
Good decision.
If what you’ve published is the tame stuff I don’t think we;d want to see the stuff you didn’t publish. While I’ll miss the banter / discussions with her in the end it’s the editor’s decision.
Jules is still rampaging:
When someone floods a site with multiple comments every day, saying the same things over and over, I think it turns people off. It certainly did that for me. I’d click on the site and scroll down to see who’s commenting and see Jules, Jules, Jules etc and then move on to another site.
Good decision.
furtz is correct
C’était grand temps… though we do perhaps owe the little dickens thanks for proving that, “The narrower a [person’s] mind the broader [their] statements”
OMG! Thank goodness. I, and I’m sure a few others, were tired of being told that we were nothing but scum and vermin that live in Cornwall. She had very little positive to contribute to our fair city (except to say that you were the very best writer and journalist that Cornwall has ever had). When you wrote your news items, she very seldom stayed on topic, and turned it into a hate Cornwall item.
Peaceful!!!