Online readers of the Tahlequah Daily Press may have noticed we’ve added several new features, which we’ve told you about. We’ve also revived a couple of old ones that had fallen by the wayside.

Before CNHI bundled all its Web sites under one system, newspapers in the company were using a variety of Internet service providers. The one the Press was using allowed readers to comment on individual stories. Under the new system, while readers can still discuss stories, the postings are lumped under a discussion forum. This is more difficult to manage than individual postings, which could be screened by employees of the “target” newspaper, as well as through a program from the Web site administrator. Although the Press initially participated in this forum, we suspended it last year because so many people were complaining about the behavior of one or two posters. Although we asked these folks to refrain from inappropriate comments, they wouldn’t, and eventually, most participants dropped out. Several told us they did so because of one individual.

Now, the system is a bit more refined, and we can track posters and eliminate inappropriate comments, though there may be “lag time” before we’re able to do it. We look forward to the day when we can block those who would damage the integrity of the forum with malicious gossip, name-calling and outright lies. At any rate, we’ve decided to try it again, in the hope that we can offer readers an open forum for intelligent, thoughtful conversation about local current events. Anyone who’s interested in getting involved can sign up on our Web site (www.tahlequahdailypress.com). We invite everyone who shares our goal of informing, discussing, entertaining and persuading – even if that means heated but fair argument – to jump on the bandwagon. The forum has been open for nearly three weeks now, and a few people have already ventured onto it.

For anyone tempted to start trouble, perhaps a quick civics lesson is in order. You are not entitled to “freedom of the press” simply because you can log onto a computer. The “freedom” belongs to those who “own” or at least work at the press in question, not to those who send in letters or participate in forums. There are still laws governing libel, character defamation and privacy invasion, and while we don’t expect readers to understand all the legal particulars, we do expect them to understand that if we can’t “prove” someone is guilty of a crime, immoral acts or other unsavory behavior, we shouldn’t print it. And although the general public has more latitude for online forums, we are nevertheless obliged to try, to every degree possible, to prevent readers from using our media to print those kinds of allegations, either.

For example, a poster shouldn’t write “Joe Blow committed an illegal act,” unless Joe Blow has been convicted of doing so. The contributor might instead say, “I disagree with what Joe Blow did” – but of course, in explaining what it was that Blow did, the poster should be able to back that up as well. Newspapers have “qualified privilege” to use a police log or court documents to report someone has been “arrested” on the “allegation” that he burglarized a home, or that he has been “charged” with the burglary, but we can’t say he “committed” the burglary until a court says he has. And further, if he is acquitted of said crime, we’re obliged to report that, too, and we shouldn’t bring up the fact that he was accused in future reference.

So, in our quest to maintain a legitimate “news” forum, we ask posters to remain civil, and to refrain from accusing anyone of wrongdoing they can’t prove, although they’re welcome to discuss criminal charges filed against individuals. Those who do not can expect their comments to be deleted. We remind these folks they can find a niche designed more for such discussion at www.tahlequahtattler.com. And if posters won’t cooperate, we may have to suspend the forum again.

Also, we’ve revived our reader poll, which is near the bottom of the home page on our Web site. We’re doing twice-daily news updates during the week, and we’ll try to let you know when we’ve posted a new poll question. Keep checking back, and vote regularly.

More than ever, we want readers to become involved in the production of our newspaper. But we don’t want a few bad apples to spoil it for everyone else. Please respect the opinions of others; refrain from malicious attacks; stick to the issues at hand; and avoid gossip that can’t be proved. There’s a place for that, perhaps, but it’s not at a newspaper.