Comment is Free

Comment is Free (CiF) is a web-based section of The Guardian (UK) where moderated/edited opinions are published. CiF was set up in June 2008, and has since become a section with a considerable following. Although CiF is predominantly a web-based section of The Guardian, some of the articles appear in both online and the newspaper media.

Assessment and Criticism
CiF came about in response to two pressures facing The Guardian: (1) the importance of web-based blogs/webzines and (2) the criticism about The Guardian’s content. The response was to open up the online section of the paper to a filtered group of people who would write in a Guardian approved style. Instead of using editorial staff to confront criticism the Guardian opted to deflect criticism by opening its online pages to the critics, and a significant number of the CiF output is currently from such sources. CiF also became a means for the Guardian editors to distance themselves from its more radical journalists. Some of its journalists provoked a heated response, and instead of confronting the critics or defending its journalists, the editors instead opted to place the materials written by such journalists in the CiF section. For example, the articles of Seumas Milne, one of the Guardian’s most critical and important writers, don’t appear in the regular section of the newspaper, but appear in the “Comment is Free” section. If any of Milne’s articles generate controversy or online attacks on the paper, the editors can allay the criticism by pointing out that Milne’s articles are merely “Comment”, and of course, everyone has a right to comment. Instead of standing up with their journalists against vociferous criticism, the editors avoid confrontation by reducing editorial responsibility over their newspaper.

Jonathan Cook criticized the CiF section by pointing out that there is a question about who really gets to write in CiF, the attack pieces that appear in CiF, and the apparent inability for those maligned to be able to reply. In particular, Cook points out an article by Andy Newman posted on CiF where he scurrilously attacks Gilad Atzmon and Alison Weir. Cook observes:
 * From the start, however, Comment is Free was never quite as free – except in terms of the financial cost to the Guardian – as it appeared. Significant writers on the left, particularly those who were considered “beyond the pale” in the old media landscape, were denied access to this new “democratic” platform. Others, myself included, quickly found there were severe and seemingly inexplicable limits on what could be said on CiF (unrelated to issues of taste or libel). None of this should matter. After all, there are many more places than CiF to publish and gain an audience. All over the web dissident writers are offering alternative analyses of current events, and drawing attention to the significance of information often ignored or sidelined by the corporate media. Rather than relish this competition, or resign itself to the emergence of real media pluralism, however, the Guardian reverted to type. It again became the left’s thought police.

Media Lens the collective analyzing and criticizing media bias, has run a series of articles about the evident bias in the CiF pages. In particular:
 * 1) Eliminating or barring replies by left academics/critics who were previously attacked in the CiF pages.
 * 2) Bars discussion of some topics that might conflict with the newspaper's financial interests, e.g., advertising.

Neocon Flak and hasbara
CiF has gained the attention of one neocon group that tracks its output and harasses the editors if something is not to its liking. This is done via its CiFWatch website. The rolling comments have mostly to do with Israel, and the output mimics CAMERA/Honest Reporting.

Principals
The main CiF editor in 2011


 * Katharine Viner is deputy editor of the Guardian, and has overall responsibility for the comment pages and Comment is free.
 * Natalie Hanman – Editor
 * David Shariatmadari – Deputy editor
 * Philip Oltermann – Deputy editor
 * Jessica Reed – Assistant editor
 * Isabella Mackie – Community coordinator
 * Nick Dastoor – Production editor
 * Charlotte Baxter – Acting production editor
 * Oliver Laughland – Editorial Intern
 * Brian Whitaker – commissioning editor, Comment is free Middle East
 * Matt Seaton – editor, Comment is free America
 * Andrew Brown – editor, Comment is free belief
 * Becky Gardiner – editor of the Guardian comment pages
 * Libby Brooks – deputy comment editor
 * Gwyn Topham – deputy comment editor)
 * Joseph Harker – assistant comment editor
 * Andrew Todd – production editor

Web link

 * www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree