Discussion moderation in online media. The case of Marca newspaper

Abstract

User-generated content management poses a challenge to the media. It requires professional handling in order to facilitate user engagement and avoid verbal aggression. To illustrate this point, the article examines the comments posted to the online edition of Marca, the major Spanish sports newspaper. Empirical assessments of the data alongside interviews with the people in charge of the service were utilized. The analysis of the automatic filters, the Moderation Technology Platform (MTP), as well as the human filters comprehensively shows the itinerary through the system of every posted message. The study reflects on the best strategies to improve the quality of the online discussion. Results: The user history and the vocabulary blacklist seem to be the fundamental tools for moderating user comments. Marca removes 40% of the comments received. In practice, it has been observed that the percentage of inappropriate posts increases with the total number of posts sent by each reader: for 2 posts the rejection rate may be 14%, but for 9 it can reach 33%. One key issue to improve the quality of comments is the involvement of journalists in the conversations.