Dayton Daily News - What Changes Would Help Dayton

[daytonwriterchick]

I agree that's the only solution here. In addition to the NYT, Slate apparently also requires registration now due to similar problems.

I often read (but never post comments) the Gawker-owned blogs, like Lifehacker and i09, and their commenting functions are linked to your Facebook account. You can either log in with your regular Facebook ID stuff (and most people have their real identities on their Facebook accounts, full name and everything), you can create a specific ID for use just on their comments sections (but must be fully validated), or you can do an anonymous comment that goes into a moderation queue. If your comment is either offensive or offers nothing new to the discussion, it is not posted, even if it is inoffensive.

Time was, you had to actually write a full letter to the editor to give feedback, and those always certainly require identification. If they don't want to require full-on identification, then moderation is the only way to deal with this.

[Bill Pote]

Another idea for the ridiculous anonymous comments the DDN continues to allow that reduce their online articles to Jerry Springer-like status:

1.  Only allow comments from registered users who are logged-in; verify email addresses.  This helps to ensure that people do not comment multiple times under different aliases.
2.  Allow all registered users to give a thumbs up or thumbs down vote with a single click for each comment.  Comments that pass a certain threshold of thumbs-up may get more visibility (bold, etc.) while those that get a certain number of thumbs-down get removed.
3.  To get even fancier, take a page from Google and give more power to those who have higher overall thumbs-up rankings

Thoughts?

[tgasper]

I love the idea.  You have to submit your name, address and phone number for a Letter to the Editor, which they in turn verify.  In this case, they would only have to verify the identity one time.  It's just too easy to hide behind anonymity and not be held accountable for ridiculous statements.

I especially like the idea of rating comments.  DDN Editors & Staff - if you're reading this, please give it serious consideration. 

[Jeffery]

Another idea for the ridiculous anonymous comments the DDN continues to allow that reduce their online articles to Jerry Springer-like status

Hah, I think of them as the chorus to some deranged rock-opera on urban decay.  Instead of "Rent!"  we have "Dayton!".

[Murf]

Hah, I think of them as the chorus to some deranged rock-opera on urban decay.  Instead of "Rent!"  we have "Dayton!".

Perfect!

[tgasper]

Granted this comment is directed more toward the news stations, but vver on City-Data.com someone "confessed" that when they hear the news at night, their joke is "the stupid people in Dayton are misbehavin' again".

And, unfortunately, that is the overall perception of Dayton because of the media.  Over on Esrati.com someone from Oakwood talked about all the break-ins they've been having - mostly cars but not entirely.  Do we ever read about THAT in the DDN.

My only request is that if they are going to cover crime or police blotters, then do so consistently throughout the region - including Oakwood, Kettering, Centerville, etc.  Or at least name the specific neighborhood  and not just leave it at "Dayton".   I believe it was mentioned here previously - it doesn't help that no matter where the crime took place, the reporter stands in front of the safety building, jail or court house (all downtown) giving the visual perception that the crime took place downtown as well.

[redladydayton]

unfortunately, bad mouthing Dayton, seems to have become a "hobby" with some folks, besides the DDN.

I couldn't believe it the other day, when I overheard an airport employee, who serves the public everyday, telling two waiting passengers how much she "HATED" Dayton, and what an awful place it is...and she blamed her husband for making her move here.  It was really bad....
Granted there were obviously some underlying issues, but to have that happening, (and she did it so freely, it obviously wasn't the first time) just digs the hole that much deeper for the rest of us..oh and they have t-shirts on sale in the gift shops:  OHIO - No Better Place to Tip a Cow, how is that for reinforcing a stereotype!!!  What a way to greet passengers!!!!

I shudder when I imagine a visiting CEO seeing that his first trip to town!!

[daytonwriterchick]

I've said this to people's faces before when they actively complain about Dayton or the entire region as a whole: if you don't like it here, leave. If you can't leave, work to make things better. If you're not working to make things better, stop complaining. Period.

I sometimes suspect that the "Jerry Springer"-ites in DDN comments section are teenagers, which is why they can't just up and leave.

[tgasper]

I can only hope that if a visitor hears someone so vehemently dissing the community, they are insightful enough to realize there are probably bigger issues involved.  Still the story just makes me sick.  It smacks the face of every one of us who are trying so hard to make Dayton a better place for everyone to live - and I'm just not sure our voice (or actions) are loud enough to drown out the naysayers.

[lifeindayton.com]

when I overheard an airport employee

City of Dayton...train your employees. Just like there's Leadership Dayton and the Neighborhood Leadership Institute, diversity training programs, employee orientations, etc. maybe there should be "Life in Dayton" training. It could feature arts groups, Metroparks, Dragons, universities, etc. so that employees can know what they're talking about, not just from a customer service viewpoint but from a personal, civic-pride perspective. At the airport it could be for airport employees but also open to airline and TSA personnel.

[Bill Pote]

^ a bit off topic, but I do wonder how much of a negative effect the city's residency rule has had on various city employees.  In the case of the airport, it is insane that airport employees must live in the city-proper and can't even live in Vandalia, even though airport is really in Vandalia while owned by the city.

[lifeindayton.com]

a little off topic!?! 

[Tony]

The DDN should win an award for confusing $500,000 block grant dollars and $7,000,000 apparently general fund dollars for the Crowne Plaza.  (See the sad little correction after the sad little article.)

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/dayton-may-help-renovate-downtown-hotel-207142.html

And for those who have issues with spending money for this, you cannot comment on the recent DBJ article about the city not giving enough for downtown businesses.

[Bill Pote]

The DDN writer screwed up royally on this story, and it was so blatantly inaccurate that one has to wonder if they were simply looking to stir things up.  Mistakes happen, but this one was unacceptable.

As far as public opinion is concerned, I think the city has reached such a low point that no matter what city leaders do, they are damned if they do and damned if they don't.  I'm all for criticism where criticism is due (I've certainly done my share over the years), but I can't believe the animosity shown toward the city and those running it by the region at large.  Has it always been like this?  The disconnect between the region-at-large and the city has reached a point that seems possibly past the point of no return.

[Bill Pote]

Btw - here is the city response:
http://www.cityofdayton.org/cmo/Documents/City%20Manager%20Crowne%20Plaza%20Correction.pdf