The Wausau Pilot & Review has joined the list of media companies that have pulled the plug on their comments section — citing the toxic environment created by anonymous “keyboard warriors,” whose language has moved from obnoxiously dumb to obscenely dangerous.
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According to publisher Shereen Siewert, “Moderating comments on a private media outlet’s social media page is not censorship. Like any business, [we have] the right to maintain an online environment free from intimidation, threats, and hatred.”
He continued, “Ask yourself: if you operated a business, would you tolerate violent threats or hateful speech on your company’s social media pages? Or your personal page? We doubt it.”
FACT CHECK ✅ While the First Amendment DOES protect hate speech — threats that are intended to cause fear of violence or harm, are not.
