I'm for free speech... but not too free.

Journal Editor Kat Powers writes the ban isn't to try to squelch debate but to deal with a bunch of nasty, obnoxious trolls (hmm, why does that sound familiar?):

... A very cute baby was the first baby born in Somerville, and we did a story about her. Her parents were from somewhere else, and people started posting some really nasty, anti-immigrant crap in the comments section of our story.

Then we wrote a nice story about a crossing guard. People started talking smack there, and when I closed comments on that story, people started talking about him elsewhere.

I can understand people posting borderline comments on stories and speculating about a crime or a politician's actions, but a baby? There's an ulterior motive for a crossing guard? ...

And that, she says, was it. She says she'll turn story commenting back on when she gets the proper tools to moderate comments.