Opinion: Come at us bro, in ways that we can actually interact

We get it, readers have opinions too.

But as a part of the page that is required to scan through our online comments to fill the wonderful little box on the upper right hand corner on our page each week, we’ve noticed some things.

First, being: a hit dog will holler — and some of you are howling loud and clear.

Unlike Facebook, Twitter and Instagram—staff writers, editors and other contributors do not receive notifications when you all comment on the DTH website. No matter how many words you use to call our staff out of their names, or the length of your post — we have to seek it out online, and we are not allowed to respond.

What you’re doing now is literally talking to a virtual wall.

It is perfectly fine to engage online, that’s what comment walls were made for. However, keep in mind that with the DTH, you do have the access and the ability to engage with our staff in a conversation. We are not celebrities (yet), so our information is available.

We provide our first and last names, and those on the opinion desk provide their emails as well — so why do some of you only feel comfortable provoking us behind a username inspired by your favorite animal? Of course, it’s not everyone. There are just a handful that rot the entire tree.

We love that we have such a loyal, charismatic group of individuals that compose our readership — but some folks just say anything about anyone.

You cannot characterise an individual based on a single column, or fully understand a writer’s political stance based on an article they’ve written.

We don’t sit in our dorm rooms or the UL, write about whatever comes to mind and just email our work to the editor-in-chief. We put time and effort into our work and we pride ourselves on that.

Please don’t underestimate the work that we do. Unless you have worked in a newsroom and had the pressure of a deadline an hour out resting on your shoulders, do not make assumptions about the process of producing a paper. It’s not like the movies.

If you are confused about something a writer wrote, then ask the writer. If you are truly up in arms about something we publish, please write a letter to our editor to ensure that someone will actually read your thoughts. If you actually have a meaningful message for a staff writer in particular, reach out to them directly. However, please understand that if you are rude, brazen or disrespectful, we are not required to respond.