Last month, the British government publicized a report that showed that Internet bullying had reached near "epidemic" proportions in the United Kingdom. This is nothing new and it isn't something that is peculiar to the U.K. For a while now, the media and child advocacy groups have been warning parents that they should mind their children's activities in front of the computer as much as they supervise them on the playground. I am all for protecting children, but what I want to know is: Who is minding the parents when they are in front of the computer?

Unlike commenting on a blog or on a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter, where the number of readers is limited to those you give access to, the comment sections on some of the more widely read news services open the possibility for hundreds of readers. In all but a few major English-language dailies, readers are able to comment directly on stories of interest. For adults that are shy about bringing up politics or religion at the dinner table, the comment section was made for you.

Pundits have suggested the comment section is the key to revitalizing print journalism, that it has the potential to revitalize the beleaguered newspaper industry. There is definitely an openness to the comment section that would be appealing to some. You no longer need to write a letter to the editor to make a comment on an article. There is no reason for you to keep your comments to yourself. With comment sections for most stories published online in a large newspaper, you can have your say.

However, some things are better left unsaid.

The writing that is common in these comment sections is normally not the kind of writing that would make it past the sober second look of a competent editor. Rather, the comments are normally short, rough and have a very masculine feel to them.

Not happy with what someone has written after about five drafts and the editor's sharp pen?

Then post a reader comment.

Editing?

It is not really necessary.

There isn't much that is going to stop anyone from publishing a comment except a firewall that is looking for overt racial slurs and swearing. If this kind of writing appeals to you, then you might want to check the new frontier of wired journalism. The comment section is waiting for your rugged journalistic spirit.

One possible reason that the writing is so rough-and-tumble is because the writers do not have to take responsibility for what they write. I think that it would be fair to say that the anonymity of the writer lends itself to a kind of no-holds-barred quality to the comments.

I am not against speaking one's mind, but there are certain issues that deserve measured responses. I think that there is room for discourse on any issue and I often complain that people are too concerned about offending others. However, I firmly believe that if you are going to put something out in for the world to see, then you need to polish it up, put your name on it and dress it up before you parade your ideas in public.

The writer lives in Japan and is completing his Ph.D. in history.