MY first response on reading your article about BBC-Thai upsetting the natives was “what?” (“Thai PM issues warning to BBC”, The Herald, December 8). Well it was actually stronger than simply “what?” Imagine my surprise when an internet search informed me that the BBC has multiple dedicated TV channels specifically aimed at foreign sovereign states “to bring accurate impartial news to countries where the media faces restrictions”. Really? Is this what I pay a licence fee for? Perhaps the BBC would be better off concentrating on giving UK citizens, especially us Scots, a balanced view on domestic issues and stopped propagating false information such as that fed them by the White Helmets in Syria rather than clinging to a post-colonial propaganda role. Alternatively perhaps if the controller of the BBC was jailed for comments made about the King of Thailand that caused offence honour would be served.
David J Crawford,
Flat 3/3 131 Shuna Street, Glasgow.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel