The Racine Journal Times, a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises, has for years maintained a policy of allowing anonymous and unverified online commenting on local news stories and social media posting. This has paved the way for a small group of disproportionately vocal and anonymous commenters (trolls) to post inflammatory, conspiratorial, racist, false and misleading claims and allegations about private citizens and public servants alike. These claims and behavior consistently violate their OWN Standards of use but do so without accountability under the umbrella of anonymity. 

Business owners, community volunteers, public servants, families and children have all been on the receiving end of the consistent vitriol. Countless citizens have voiced opposition for years and requested the commenting policy be changed and aligned with other Lee Publications policies. Lee Enterprises currently HAS a verified email system in many of their other outlets so the simple tech for transitioning is already right there. Subscriptions are down. Advertising is down. It's long past time for the commenting policy to go down. 

Free speech should not be abridged but it should not be protected by anonymity, and violating community standards should not be without consequence. The people of Racine and surrounding communities deserve better. We demand that the legacy community publication hold its viewers and readers in higher regard. We demand that the Racine Journal Times abolish their anonymous and unverified commenting policy on any and all media platforms.