Daily Lobo has no right to censor comments section

Editor,

Why did you close the comments section for the column “Editorial April 22” by Eva Dameron? Why will you print an op-ed piece by one of your writers describing how fat people make him sick, but now — all of a sudden — you feel the need to censor your product?  

I hope it’s obvious that I’m asking this rhetorically. I know why you did it. You want to avoid people posting comments similar to the one Dameron described. I’m just wondering why you don’t show overweight Americans the same courtesy you do African Americans.  

If I remember correctly, the Daily Lobo even defended its decision to print that op-ed piece, writing that it represented one person’s opinion. So why not defend the comment in question? Again, this is a rhetorical question. My point is the Daily Lobo shouldn’t get to pick what kind of people it will defend, and it should be clear that the Lobo should respect all people. At least I think so.  

I didn’t read the comment that Dameron wrote about, but I trust it was every bit as terrible as she described. But why should we all have to suffer because of one idiot’s words? The comments section is a great way to get dialogue going and since, understandably, the Daily Lobo can’t print all letters to the editor, it makes sense to have a medium that allows readers to express their opinions.  

It would be a mistake to do away with the comments section. It would be just as much of a mistake as printing the hate piece against fat people last year and just as stupid as the person that made the racist comment.  

The comment section should be left as is, so that readers can know that the views of others are not being altered by Lobo staff. Perhaps, a “hide” feature could be added? Yahoo! News uses one. It allows users to rate comments, and those comments with the lowest scores are hidden, but still accessible to people who want to read them.  
Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.

David Luna
Daily Lobo reader

Editor’s note: We’re not doing away with the comment section. Also, the column referencing fat people was not written by a Daily Lobo employee and precedes the current Daily Lobo editor-in-chief’s term. Thanks for writing in, David.