Returning 'civil' to civil discourse

Some of our online readers may have recently noticed the comments on several stories have been removed and the ability for people to comment on those stories has been disabled. This is the unfortunate result of a problem seen not just in Libby, but in our nation as a whole: The lack of civility in public discourse.

As I noted above, this is a problem by no means unique to Libby or Lincoln County. During the past several decades both the tone and content of the public discourse have dramatically declined.

I make no pretense of knowing why this has happened.

Is it a byproduct of a 24-hour global news cycle in which an ever-increasing number of media outlets compete for viewers with increasingly sensationalized reporting? Is it part of a more recent trend in which we, as a society, make our disagreements more about the credibility and character of those with whom we disagree, instead of about the topics of said disagreement? Is it because modern technology allows us to sit in the comfort of our homes and engage in these discussions while never having to face the subjects of our ire?

I don’t know, but I suspect it’s a combination of all of these, and probably several other factors.

What I do know is that the decline of civility in the public discourse disappoints me. It diminishes not just the people about whom negative comments are made, it also diminishes those making the comments, the credibility of any claims or arguments they might be attempting to make and the public process as a whole.

Personal attacks and character assassination attempts don’t make one’s arguments any more valid. On the contrary, in many cases they turn the public attention away from the issue at hand and polarize the intended audience. For many of us, even legitimate arguments become lost by the wayside when the proponent stoops to such tactics.

Valid arguments have the ability to stand and be considered on their own merits.

I am a passionate defender of the freedom of speech. I believe that in order to have a free society, we need the free flow of ideas and information. In order for our community, our nation and our world to move forward, we need an informed and engaged citizenry. Free and open discussion serves that end.

The behavior we’ve seen on recent stories on The Western News’ website does not represent free and open discussion. It’s verbal bullying. It’s harassment. It’s intimidation. And it serves no legitimate end.

We chose to remove the posts we deemed unacceptable not to stifle the discussion, but in hopes of elevating it.

Maintaining reasonable standards of the discussion, we hope, will encourage more of our readers to engage in the discussions. We hope to create an online environment where ideas are freely discussed without the bullying, without the harassment, without the intimidation.

We can’t change the tone of the national or global discussion from Libby, Montana. What we can do, however, is ensure that our discussions reflect our values and our commitment to civility and mutual respect. We can disagree on matters of policy and principle without resorting to childish personal attacks and name-calling.