In the aftermath of the excitement generated by news of a new law blog at The White House (Volokh had the news here but it was an April Fool’s prank), some wondered if the new blog would allow comments. Which got me thinking about why The White House Blog doesn’t allow public comments (moderated or unmoderated). In fact, none of the ten other “blogs” the White House lists allow comments. (Even the Office of Public Engagement Blog and the Open Government Blog don’t allow comments.) Does that basically mean they’re glorified press release (and video news release) graveyards?
Eric –
I always blamed it on first amendment issues. By moderating comments they are essentially acting as a censor. Sure they could ban foul language and overtly pornographic content. But they would have to let in a whole lot of spam, junk and general nastiness.
It would be great if the blog could host an honest and meaningful debate. More likely it would be a cesspool of nastiness, good-hearted defense and tons of spam.