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Last update - 00:00 09/04/2006
Evils, greater goods, and talkbacks
By Bradley Burston


The talkback is perhaps the most radical new instrument in the repertoire of journalism. Reporting and analysis are suddenly no longer a one-way street. Readers are no longer consumers of information, they generate new comment, new perspectives, divergent streams of thought.

In the best of cases, talkbacks are a meeting place where people from warring nations can, for the first time, meet, exchange views, give voice to their hopes and their pain, learn about one another, and seek common ground.

But talkbacks also generate heat. A great deal of heat. There is a particular combustibility to talkbacks when applied to the Middle East conflict. They bring together people with points of view so divergent, often so impermeable to debate, that molten hatreds pour forth with regularity.

Taken to extremes, any freedom can prove its own undoing. This is particularly true where freedom of expression is concerned. The power of talkbacks is considerable. They may serve a greater good, or provide new fuel for old evil.

It is for this reason that we have provided guidelines to determine which talkback responses will be published on Haaretz.com.

In response to requests by many of our readers, we have tightened our enforcement of the guidelines, especially with regard to personal attacks against fellow respondents, as well as racist remarks and accusations, and condemnations of Judaism and Islam.

To review, the guidelines are as follows:


Political orientation will have absolutely no bearing on whether a comment is posted or rejected.

Comments containing the following will be automatically disqualified:

1. Personal attacks, vulgarities and profanities directed at other respondents.

2. Statements terming Israelis or Palestinians and their leaders Nazis, or accusing them of genocide or ethnic cleansing.

3. Statements which may be construed as urging attacks on Israeli or Palestinian leaders, officials, security forces or civilians.

4. Comments of an anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab or other racist nature.


If you believe that we have applied the guidelines unfairly or in error, we invite you to write to bburston@haaretz.co.il, and your complaint will be seen to promptly.

Bradley Burston, Editor
Haaretz.com



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  1.   good on ya Bradley 13:26  |  a reader 09/04/06
  2.   OH NO BRADLEY!!!!! 14:09  |  Ronnie Wolman 09/04/06
  3.   What if there is real substance to a charge? 14:36  |  Mark Lincoln 09/04/06
  4.   Lets Just hope, it is not an ephemeral goal! 14:39  |  Bouhadana 09/04/06
  5.   You see Bradley....You have at least 4 good people here... 15:05  |  Ronnie Wolman 09/04/06
  6.   Freedom of comment on religion`s ? 15:15  |  Bill 09/04/06
  7.   PATRIOTISM 15:23  |  CHONI 09/04/06
  8.   Freedom of speech and freedom of religion 15:45  |  Mark Lincoln 09/04/06
  9.   Congratulations Choni 15:48  |  Mark Lincoln 09/04/06
  10.   Bradley, Let people say what`s on their mind.. 16:06  |  Dutch 09/04/06
  11.   They may write it but you publish it Haaretz! 16:09  |  johnie 09/04/06
  12.   Gosh, now I understand why there are so few talkbacks here 16:11  |  Judith 09/04/06
  13.   The Choni and Bill Show:Propaganda,good debate and abuse 16:12  |  Ronnie Wolman 09/04/06
  14.   On freedom of speech and "shaping"! 16:15  |  Candor Secrett 09/04/06
  15.   No ethnic cleansing 16:19  |  s.davies 09/04/06
  16.   I disagreed with the earlier Haaretz editorial 16:32  |  bruce 09/04/06
  17.   Rules are to be broken 16:39  |  Michael N 09/04/06
  18.   I am bewildered 16:43  |  FOX 09/04/06
  19.   No ethnic cleansing 16:43  |  Klas Dahlstrom 09/04/06
  20.   Question on Guideline 2 16:46  |  W 09/04/06
  21.   Well Guys, the Party`s Over! 16:56  |  Bloomfield 09/04/06
  22.   Bruce come on man,you think I was abusing Choni and Bill????? 17:00  |  Ronnie Wolman 09/04/06
  23.   re #19 Klaus 17:16  |  FOX 09/04/06
  24.   Mao and social education 17:27  |  FOX 09/04/06
  25.   Re #23 FOX 17:32  |  Klas Dahlstrom 09/04/06
  26.   I wonder if any arab papers have these guidelines 17:42  |  Ron 09/04/06
  27.   & rule # one or two should be 17:46  |  termite 09/04/06
  28.   It`s About Time... 17:50  |  CHGODMK 09/04/06
  29.   Klas I read the interview 17:54  |  FOX 09/04/06
  30.   Letters to Editor? Talkbacks cheapen. If cleansing happened? 17:58  |  believer in balance 09/04/06
  31.   Get rid of the talkbacks 18:02  |  McQueen 09/04/06
  32.   One More Category 18:22  |  Johnny Weintraub 09/04/06
  33.   Ronnie one gets, what one gets 18:24  |  bruce 09/04/06
  34.   good action 18:25  |  Ernst 09/04/06
  35.   D talkback editors want heat and polarization? 18:29  |  believer in balance 09/04/06
  36.   Religions and their people 18:33  |  bruce 09/04/06
  37.   Should Talkback be Shut Down? 18:41  |  Bloomfield 09/04/06
  38.   QUESTON 18:43  |  CHONI 09/04/06
  39.   Bruce:Propaganda and treating people Propaly 18:59  |  Ronnie Wolman 09/04/06
  40.   Thank you Haaretz 19:08  |  Sylvia rafael 09/04/06
  41.   McQueen and the Myopia Times 19:15  |  Ronnie Wolman 09/04/06
  42.   Hello Haaretz 19:17  |  Me 09/04/06
  43.   Funny Israeli laws 19:25  |  Andreas 09/04/06
  44.   Colisseum Romans coaxing gladiators or for peace & understanding? 19:25  |  believer in balance 09/04/06
  45.   my father 19:35  |  termite 09/04/06
  46.   Mr. Bradley Burston 19:36  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 09/04/06
  47.   Mr. Bradley Burston 19:56  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 09/04/06
  48.   Irony #31 20:00  |  Matt 09/04/06
  49.   #3, Mark Lincoln 20:01  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 09/04/06
  50.   #46, do you want to know what real irony is? 20:17  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 09/04/06
  51.   Glad to Hear It! 20:34  |  Jane 09/04/06
  52.   Ron on guidelines 20:48  |  sh 09/04/06
  53.   Cipora: ABSORBTION 21:00  |  Ronnie Wolman 09/04/06
  54.   Talkbacks 21:04  |  Gina 09/04/06
  55.   tough task mr editor 21:10  |  peter 09/04/06
  56.   Mark Lincoln 21:17  |  Gina 09/04/06
  57.   To FOX # 29 21:25  |  Klas Dahlstrom 09/04/06
  58.   Cipora Julianna Kohn 21:31  |  Gina 09/04/06
  59.   Cipora - the "new" rules 21:35  |  Mark Lincoln 09/04/06
  60.   To Klas re #57 22:04  |  FOX 09/04/06
  61.   Hello Haaretz 22:26  |  Me 09/04/06
  62.   talkback and censors 22:30  |  peter 09/04/06
  63.   #19 KlasDahlstrom, good point 22:32  |  Dutch 09/04/06
  64.   haaretz hello. 22:34  |  Joy Springreen 09/04/06
  65.   Bradley, you`re no Bialik 22:51  |  Mira 09/04/06
  66.   FOX - my hero 22:54  |  fiona 09/04/06
  67.   Freedom of speech and expression fair`ly. 22:56  |  Ali 09/04/06
  68.   practice what you preach 23:04  |  N. Ben-Menachem 09/04/06
  69.   HOW ABOUT CENSORING THE CAPS 23:56  |  peter 09/04/06
  70.   #58, Gina 00:38  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 10/04/06
  71.   #43 00:41  |  Ron 10/04/06
  72.   #2 is very hard to enforce 00:47  |  Bruce 10/04/06
  73.   Sorry,Mr. Burton 01:15  |  rhodoman 10/04/06
  74.   ((((VOICE OF PETER))))) 01:54  |  Ronnie Wolman 10/04/06
  75.   ethnic cleansing 01:56  |  michael 10/04/06
  76.   #24 01:58  |  Jay 10/04/06
  77.   ANDREAS.Even blatant anti Israel prejudice gets posted. 02:35  |  PETER SM 10/04/06
  78.   Haaretz, needs to dimiss some her personnel 03:51  |  e.m 10/04/06
  79.   Boo Ronnie, Yay Cipora 04:45  |  searcher 10/04/06
  80.   Talkbacks 04:57  |  MRZIPCODE 10/04/06
  81.   Searcher,sorry I couldnt agree with you more 05:06  |  Ronnie Wolman 10/04/06
  82.   Get rid of him, Mr. Burston 06:01  |  David ben Avigdor 10/04/06
  83.   Freedom of speech versus ad hominem & slander 07:30  |  Paqid Yirmeyahu 10/04/06
  84.   Hullo Haaretz 07:40  |  lola 10/04/06
  85.   Gina 2117 04.09 Hebrew OT 08:35  |  Paqid Yirmeyahu 10/04/06
  86.   81 Ronnie Wolman 08:56  |  Searcher 10/04/06
  87.   Guidelines are not always followed .A recommendation 09:16  |  Shalom Freedman 10/04/06
  88.   Paqid Yirmeyahu 10:02  |  Gina 10/04/06
  89.   IS THIS SOMEKIND OF JOKE, SIR? 12:24  |  indrajaya 10/04/06
  90.   about time 13:26  |  emunahmusic.com 10/04/06
  91.   emunahmusic 13:41  |  Joy Springreen 10/04/06
  92.   I think I will do a little test 16:14  |  Stephen Murray 10/04/06
  93.   To Mr.B.Burston. 16:21  |  S 10/04/06
  94.   Mr. Stephen Murray 17:35  |  Vicky 10/04/06
  95.   # 50 Cipora Julianna Kohn. The Irony etc.READ MY LITTLE STORY.... 19:02  |  S 10/04/06
  96.   # 50 Cipora J.Kohn. THE IRONY? PART TWO. 19:07  |  S 10/04/06
  97.   #95-96, S 02:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 11/04/06
  98.   Termite has better wood 03:00  |  termite 11/04/06
  99.   Unfair Policy! Franzen Almost Killed Me! 07:40  |  Sam The Sham 11/04/06
  100.   Burston You Take All The Fun Out Of War! 07:56  |  Sam The Sham 11/04/06
  101.   Israel Should stay out of it & react! 23:08  |  Mozz 11/04/06
  102.   Israel Should stay out of it & react! 23:08  |  Mozz 11/04/06
  103.   What if your guidelines thwart important truths? 00:17  |  David Hoffman 12/04/06
  104.   #103, David Hoffman 04:08  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/04/06
  105.   hats off to the editors 16:30  |  yiftah 13/04/06
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