Professor: Lowest Common Denominator Rules Online

In today's Profnet Wire, a source for journalists, Rich Hanley, director of graduate programs at Quinnipiac University School of Communications, says of Yahoo!'s decision to shut down its user-created Internet chat rooms amid concerns that adults were using them to try to have sex with minors:

"All the lofty chatter about open-source journalism, reader
empowerment and reader-created content is all good in theory, but in the wild, it simply does not work without some level of moderation. ... The Yahoo! decision to rethink its open chat policy is in line with its business objectives, but readers, too, need to police themselves and avoid open chat rooms."

Sadly, that seems to be true. The lowest common denominator rules in a democracy, and the Internet seems to be no exception. One can hope though. Clap your hands if you believe in fairies.