'End Journal Times Anonymous Comments,' Petition Demands

RACINE, WI — Citing years worth of "inflammatory, conspiratorial, racist, false and misleading" comments, a petition is calling for the Journal Times to abandon their policy for anonymous commenting on the media outlet's story page.

Organizer Keith Hemmig in his petition said the paper's parent company, Lee Enterprises, is violating its own Standards of Use policies.

Included in those terms is a stipulation that website users do not "use the Site to upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available content that is harmful to minors in any way, or that is harassing, harmful, threatening, abusive, vulgar, obscene, defamatory, libelous, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable."

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Petition: Eliminate anonymous comment policy from all Racine Journal Times online platforms.

"Any action by a user that infringes on another user's right to use and enjoy this site is prohibited," the Lee Enterprises Terms of Use further stated.

"The people of Racine and surrounding communities deserve better. We demand that the legacy community publication hold its viewers and readers in higher regard," he wrote. "We demand that the Racine Journal Times abolish their anonymous and unverified commenting policy on any and all media platforms."

As of Thursday evening, 285 people have signed the petition.