Our Week In The Web: February 13, 2015

As many of our regular comment board denizens have noted in recent weeks, something rather weird is happening in our comment section, and we thought it might be as good of a time as ever to talk about what seems to be happening. We've written before — as our commenters have copied and pasted in to the comments section — that our (and by our, we mean 'Nick Andersen, On Point Web Producer') current policy for comment moderation is by and large a sort of 'live and let live' approach. While the WBUR Community rules do ask that comments stay on topic and not fade off into accusatory back and forth drivel, we've taken the approach that the decision to do just that, while perhaps annoying, is totally in keeping with an open and free exchange of ideas. Where we draw a pretty firm line, however, is with repeated violent, crass or sexually explicit messages or threats and deliberate and destructive impersonation of other users, and it's users who have done just that that we have banned from the forum in recent weeks. (Including users who have openly discussed the best ways to 'troll' the On Point comment section on other NPR comment threads). Commenters reading this might no doubt point to comments and commenters with that kind of language and behavior who haven't been banned as of this posting. We admit that while we aren't able to police each and every forum with the intensity all of you have, we do and will and are working on finding better ways to filter out these kinds of messages from the threads. We're not policing for any particular political perspective or viewpoint — all of us on staff are glad that people of all political persuasions feel engaged by our forum — but we are policing for a modicum of civil respectability. You might note the lack of a comment section on this post; if you have questions or concerns about our moderation policy or feel that there are users or comments that need further moderation, we invite you to email us at onpointnpr AT gmail DOT com.

1. Week In The News: ISIS, Measles And A New Harper Lee Novel (February 6, 2015)

2. The 'Sapiens' Story (February 9, 2015)

3. Jeb: The Next National Bush? (February 11, 2015)

4. Measles Outbreak Prompts Vaccine Policy Debate (February 9, 2015)

5. Justice, Race And Municipal Courts (February 10, 2015)

"I'm still grappling with how to talk about David Carr in the past tense." — Brian Stelter

"Delighted to be here discussing classical literature on national radio. That's rare." — Sheldon Pollock

"I'd love to head back to 'Twin Peaks' in the wig and pantyhose if they'll have me." -- David Duchovny

"One of the things I like most about science is that it's okay to say we don't know." — Yuval Noah Harari

"I think Jeb enjoys being Governor, or potentially being President, more than being wealthy." — SV Date

"Extreme weather here in Detroit with 'high' near 0 Sunday." (@PatBWDET)

"I know it's expensive to clear, but please stop saying its horrible. My family loves the snow. We think it's beautiful and dramatic and brightens up our city." (Terri-Lynn McCormick)

"Tom, as always, you are a marvel, a real inspiration, ever open- minded and gracious ~" (Victoria Larkin)

"I can't even go outside to do my business!" (@CarlosThePuppy)

This surprisingly pleasant video collection of a group of capybaras enjoying a visit to some hot springs. [BoingBoing]