YouTube comments on anything remotely political are an absolute cesspool of the worst of humanity. They add no value, are next to impossible to moderate, and the CBC is right to disable them.

RadioAaron wrote:

     the CBC is right to disable them.

 
Hmmmm

How about this?

How about if the CBC won't allow comments then don't post any videos on YouTube

Sound fair?

That would be a policy some of us could live with  

 

unclefester wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

     the CBC is right to disable them.

 
Hmmmm

How about this?

How about if the CBC won't allow comments then don't post any videos on YouTube

Sound fair?

That would be a policy some of us could live with  

 

And while they're at it, maybe the shouldn't broadcast newscasts unless they open the phones after and let every unscreened call on the air!

One of the problems with comments is that you also have to hire someone to read every single one of them to ensure nothing approximating hate speech or libel is put up on the web using your platform. That can expose you to all kinds of legal issues, which on one wants. 

It's not usually an issue with this forum, because while politics comes up here occasionally, it's not generally the main focus. 

No one wants to have to pay someone to review every word that's published, and with a site like CBC, which has millions of users, going over every single message, some of them coming in hundreds at a time, would be almost impossible. It also does exactly what Uncle F. implies - creates the appearance of bias. "Why was my comment blocked?" is a frequent complaint I see, especially on newspaper websites. 

It's a thorny issue and unless it gets out of hand, I try to let people have their say, controversial or not. But I can see why any organization, including the CBC, would simply rather say, "it's just not worth the trouble for certain stories."

unclefester wrote:

This thread is about the CBC

You're meandering

No I am not, and I am not defending the CBC or taking their side. As I said earlier, the CBC, like all other YouTube content creators, has every right to disable commenting on any video they upload to the platform. There is nothing in YouTube's T&Cs that says that everybody, including the CBC, has to allow comments on all videos. In fact, if there were any kids (12 and under) in the videos and the CBC declared this upon uploading, YouTube would have automatically disabled commenting. So it's not always the CBC's fault.

How would you feel if you were a CBC reporter covering a news event involving a PM of any stripe, and the comments on your YouTube video were just a) users bashing each other (sometimes ad hominem) over their political beliefs, and b) out-of-country trolls/bots?

unclefester wrote:

Just watched two videos on YouTube put up by CBC News.

They both dealt with Justin Trudeau - his trip to Ukraine and the ultra generous 5 hundred MILLION dollar gift/donation from Canada's taxpayers.

Comments are "turned off" for both those videos courtesy of CBC management

Why is that & what should be done about it?

A lot of mainstream news outlets (The Star, Globe and Mail) either shut off comments entirely or only allow verified subscribers to comment rather than have to spend money having someone vet all the comments for libel, hate speech, etc.

Sorry but the comments section generally has become a cesspool.

unclefester wrote:

Forward Power wrote:

  

...the CBC has every right to disable commenting on any video they upload to the platform.    
       

Because of who they are because of what they do and because of how they are funded and because millions of Canadians rely on them they should either allow comments or not post to YouTube at all

Taxpayer 101

Simple really  

Why should my taxpayer dollars be used to pay someone to spend hours vetting YouTube comments for libel or offensive speech?

unclefester wrote:

Forward Power wrote:

  

...the CBC has every right to disable commenting on any video they upload to the platform.    
       

Because of who they are because of what they do and because of how they are funded and because millions of Canadians rely on them they should either allow comments or not post to YouTube at all

Taxpayer 101

Simple really  

So who should be responsible for preventing them from posting to Youtube?

Also, you could always send them a letter or e-mail, but I can understand why people like to comment on Youtube videos - it must be very gratifying to see like-minded individuals agree with you

RadioAaron wrote:

And I don’t want my taxes platforming conspiracy theories, personal attacks, and violent rhetoric.

Hear hear!