The Lansing State Journal has been taking heat lately for a couple of stories I’ve written about former state senator Phillip Arthurhultz, who is accused of several sex-related offenses involving four children, ages 12 to 15.
In both cases, readers were upset that story chat was turned off for the online versions of the stories; readers felt they were unfairly prohibited from making comments in the story, and a reader felt I had a clear anti-Arthurhultz bias, because the paper would not allow his supporters to come to his defense in story chat.
For the record, I have no bias on this story; I have no idea whether he is guilty or innocent; he deserves his day in court. I have tried to reach both Arthurhultz and his attorney to provide his side of the story – so far to no avail.
According to LSJ editors, story chat was turned off for these stories, as they are for most stories involving charges of child molestation, because they tend to draw highly charged, sexually degrading comments from posters that can be both unfair and emotionally damaging to both the alleged victims and perpetrator.
"I made the decision to turn off comments on the Arthurhultz story after determining that there were a large number of comments violating our terms of service," said Elaine Kulhanek, the State Journal's community conversations editor. "Stories involving criminal allegations of sexual misconduct with children usually attract a high volume of inappropriate comments and we frequently have to turn them off."
If Arthurhultz supporters out there wish to come to his defense, I suggest they write a letter to the editor of the State Journal.
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