Comments sections, letters to the editor, and Twitter

I love hearing what readers have to say. [READER]( If you like to explore every inch of Reader articles on the web, you may have noticed something missing from the bottom of articles. A few weeks ago, the Reader got rid of the comments section. I started writing professionally when comments sections on news sites and culture blogs were sometimes celebrated as hubs of community. User comments could be as much of a draw to some sites as the writing that got people to click on an article in the first place. It all feels so far away now. Social media long ago uprooted comments sections as the dominant forum for public commentary and conversation with writers. I remember having reservations about replacing our Reader e-mails with our Twitter handles at the end of our print stories. I found it strange that we were directing our readers to a separate website to engage with us. Then again, I use Twitter far more than I care to admit, and I can't think of the last time I created an account on a news site in order to post my thoughts on an article. But do I immediately jump to Twitter to share my thoughts? Absolutely. I value hearing from our readers. It's a delight to learn about how someone reacted to a story I wrote—and more to receive constructive criticism from someone deeply knowledgeable about what I wrote. But I've infrequently found such insight in comments sections recently. I can't say this year was the first time I'd wanted to delete the comments section, but what shred of interest I had in it evaporated after I noticed one anonymous user who had created an account to post an insult on one of my articles accuse another anonymous user of being the subject of the story. What's the value in holding a space for conversation when few people want to use it to earnestly engage with others? Mostly, not a week goes by that I don't miss the letters to the editor section. It's a little different to write and submit a cogent argument that's strong enough to convince editors to run it in the limited print space available for such commentary. The old Reader letters to the editor section is a thing of legend too; Steve Albini's [January 1994 Reader letter]( regarding Bill Wyman's year in rock recap still gets shared like it was written yesterday (do read [Philip Montoro's 2016 post about it]( if you get the chance). One of the delights of working on this newsletter is getting replies from readers. Sometimes they're not much better than the slop that festered in so many comments sections, but even then it's nice to hear from readers who have something to say. As much as I like to write stories that I think are interesting, I do this work with our readers in mind—and it means so much to know what you think of the work we run. Sincerely, ["Eric Alper is Just Asking Questions,"]( by Zach Schonfeld (Billboard) ["Courtney Bryan's 'Requiem' had to wait out the pandemic—now on CSOtv, it's all the stronger for it. Because we aren't the same.,"]( by Hannah Edgar (Chicago Tribune) Ten City, [Judgement]( L'Rain, [Fatigue]( Desert Liminal, ["New Tongue"]( Tyler, The Creator, [Call Me If You Get Lost]( [An examination of the self and of others]( The new art space, Juliet Art House, introduces the work of Rebecca Baruc. By [S. Nicole Lane]( [@snicolelane]( [PopCultivator wants to lead comic book creators in the right direction]( The new crowdfunded business specializes in matching comic book creators with publishers. By [Matthew Sigur]( [@MatthewSigur]( [Rapper and poet Mykele Deville signs on as the Hideout’s new booker]( Plus: Ghetto-house pioneer DJ Deeon makes his debut for the Teklife label, and radical Jewish hardcore band Acid Mikvah drops a scalding demo. By [J.R. Nelson]( [@JR1Nelson]( and [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Four bits for the ferryman on the gig poster of the week]( By [Salem Collo-Julin]( [@hollo]( [Lucy Dacus reflects on her coming-of-age with the new Home Video]( By [Shannon Nico Shreibak]( [@essenness]( [Issue of Jun 24 - July 7, 2021 Vol. 50, No. 20]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) 1971 Chicagoans have relied on the Reader for trusted alternative coverage of our city. The Chicago Reader is now a 501c3 nonprofit organization which means our survival is in your hands. In order to continue to be your trusted alternative voice of Chicago, we need your help. If you can donate just $5 today, we can show the world that community funded, independent journalism is the future. [DONATE TODAY!]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? 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