Hancock’s anti-anonymity pledge sets a precedent.
According to Jo Mannies’ Political Fix post last week, John Hancock’s forthcoming blog will identify the authors of all news, opinion, and gossip content on the site. This announcement is a pleasant surprise, and I think future sites should consider following that accountability model.
By not allowing anonymous posts or comments, Hancock is ensuring that the site will stay libel-free. My suggestion is for Hancock’s staff to capture readers’ comments and questions via e-mail, verify the authors’ identity, then post those comments on the site. This would require a little more time from Hancock’s staffers, of course, but it is much better than having them sit around and post anonymous comments on his site all day.
If Hancock sticks to his anti-anonymity pledge, and his site lasts through an entire election cycle, he will have set a meaningful precedent.