The Internet is Now a Place for Healing

A free comment section with a human presence may be helping people bear a heavier load in tragic times.

Bagpipe player Jon "Pipey" Moritz at a recent military funeral in Hood River Photo by: Tim King

(SALEM) - As a recent Salem-News.com story on the passing of crocodile hunter Steve Irwin received its 420th comment from a member of the public, it dawned on me that this information zone we have created is more than a place to learn, it is a place to grieve.

The Irwin family

I never expected that, but then the road has been anything but predictable. Certain developments were anticipated, like the growth of the visitor base from month to month. We have seen the site go from pictures and published stories over two years ago, to a full multi-media machine with video and audio and full interconnectivity.

All things considered; I thought it would be well used, but I never expected the comment section to become a healing field for a world audience. We never imagined creating a healing place for people far beyond our country, from Australia and Denmark, Singapore and Mexico, and Portugal and France, just to name a few places.

Tommy Tucker

It started with the death of Tommy Tucker in Iraq. A story containing his family's statement was widely consumed by SNc Web visitors and 125 comments were left by people, mostly condolences from kind souls who had heavy hearts over the Tucker family's loss, and this young Airborne soldier's death was indeed a mournful passing.

Soon, friends of Tommy Tucker began leaving comments, as did friends and family members of Texas soldier Kristian Menchaca who was killed along with Private First Class Tucker when their forward outpost was overrun.

The statements left us believing that in the creation of the "comments" section, something very positive had been born.

Rachel Soto

Another tragic story that seemed therapeutic in nature was the Albany Police shooting of a wanted robbery suspect, a mom named Rachel Soto. Her meth addiction appears to have led to her demise, and if you read the comments you may believe that her death is a lesson in what an abusive substance can do to an otherwise kind and decent person.

Some comments were rank and heartless, cheering her passing from the world, but the balance never left the room as her friends and supporters stood up fiercely for the woman's legacy, one they view as a matter of sadness.

While some appeared to throw some heavy stones against both Rachel Soto and the police officer who shot her, the incident was anything but forgotten, and the record of those debates over meth and life and crime and Rachel's premature death will live forever on the Internet.

It might be worth pointing out that Salem-News.com archives, including story comments are on the Web forever. Google nearly instantly captures the stories we publish, and unlike many newspapers Websites, we do not charge anyone to look at stories when they become one week old.

And now we are watching people post hundreds of comments over the death of a crocodile hunter who was known and loved around the world. We knew Steve Irwin's wife, Terri, was from Eugene, Oregon, so it seemed correct on several levels that we should cover the story. We knew children and adults alike found the guy fascinating, but we did not know that people from the farthest corners of the globe would select our Salem-News.com Website and allow it to become a major tribute to a person who entertained millions.

Kouman Ly's bike

The most recent case of the site being a point of grieving and respect involves the death of a North Plains area motorcyclist named Kouman Ly. While the pattern is in motion, we expect to see comments come in from people who knew him for the next several months.

In my view, it is more than refreshing that new media can actually help take the sting out of a tragedy. It will be very interesting to see how many comments are left on the Steve Irwin story when the flow finally stops, if the flow ever stops. The point where we were receiving over a hundred a day has subsided, but I expect it will continue for some time.

As time moves forward, we will continue the policies that set Salem-News.com apart from other media groups, as we redefine the way news should be delivered.