May 22nd, 2010 
joel A Press and Tower survey of major metro dailies in the Tri-state area shows that of the seven newspaper websites reviewed, four allow comments and just three do not. GoErie.com/Erie Times-News is joined by the websites of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review with a moratorium on reader comments.
However, the newspapers we looked at outside of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania all allowed reader comments. The breakdown:
- Erie: Erie Times-News – GoErie.com
- No comments
- Share story tools by AddThis.com
- Akron: Akron Beacon Journal – Ohio.com
- Comments by registered users
- Share story tools by AddThis.com
- Buffalo: Buffalo News – Buffalonews.com
- Comments by registered users
- Story ratings by registered users
- Share story tools by AddThis.com
- Cleveland: The Plain Dealer – Cleveland.com
- Comments by registered users
- Story recommendations by registered users
- Custom share story tools
- Extensive social networking tools that allow you to create a profile with likes, recommendations, etc.
- Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Post-gazette.com
- No comments
- Custom share story tools
- Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – Pittsburghlive.com
- No comments
- Custom share story tools
- Youngstown: Youngstown Vindicator – Vindy.com
- Comments by registered users
- Share story tools by AddThis.com
Finally, I think its funny that some of the sites don’t include Twitter as a top sharing tool. To me, Facebook and Twitter are the two social networking sites where I’ll find out about a story, as opposed to StumbleUpon or Digg.
Posted in 
Tags: 
Loading ...
I’m puzzled by your methodology in selecting which newspapers to include in your comment survey. Seven major “metro” dailies? Surely the Times-News doesn’t qualify as a major metro daily on the level with the others you selected. That aside, by limiting it to major metro dailies, you arbitrarily excluded The Butler Eagle, The Bradford Era, The Sharon Herald, The Uniontown Herald-Standard, The Pittsburgh Business Times, The Pittsburgh City Paper, The Titusville Herald and the Warren Times-Mirror, all more comparable to the Times-New and all of which allow comments. I didn’t bother to survey the other two states in your trifecta, but I’m sure the results would be comparable. Many papers which allow moderated comments are smaller and less affluent than the Times-News, yet cost does not seem to be a barrier to them. They obviously take seriously their commitment to freedom of speech and the press, unlike the Erie Times-News. And why would you go out of state for your survey, yet ignore important Pa. newspapers like the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia News, the Allentown Call and the Harrisburg Patriot-News? I don’t get it. There are no common socio-economic or cultural ties linking southwestern NY, northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pa. Talk about an unscientific survey. You also missed or ignore a key point. Pat Howard has publicly stated repeatedly that comments would be resumed at the Times-News. Is he dissembling?
Joe LaRocca
Thanks for asking about my methods, Joe.
First I disagree about your statement that the inverse triangle formed by Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo has no socio-economic context or linkage. In industry, commerce, and certainly media, Erie’s connection to the three larger markets two hours or less away is very strong.
In picking the papers I surveyed, I eyeballed the metros embedded in that triangle and looked up the major papers of those metros. Every newspaper I mentioned, including the Times-News has a circulation of over 50,000. The only oversight on my part was not including the Canton paper, so here’s their numbers:
Canton: Canton Repository – Cantonrep.com
*Comments by registered users
*Share story tools by ShareThis.com
You can search the circulation of any ABC audited newspaper by clicking this link.
Hello, Hello.
Just curious if you would be interested in watching this music video about the media. The Real Truth – Media Frenzy. Would love you comments.
Thanks for your time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDMk_qeDwwo
or
http://realtruthmusic.com/?page_id=28
Kevin.
I see that ETN is now wanting to CHARGE $2.99 to join the on line edition, giving you the right to post comments. THATS ABOUT AS LAME AS ANY NEWSPAPER EFFORT AS IVE EVER SEEN ANYWHERE! Give me a flippen break!