Troll control

In his letter about online trolls (20 July) Paul Lewis comes across in the usual sanctimonious and presumptuous mode that typifies too many Scotsman comments (by trolls of course and by letter writers too) in that the drum is thumped to the beat of trolls being on balance “cybernats” and not “britnats”.

The best solution for online abuse is for the moderators who are ostensibly responsible for preventing vitriol etc from appearing to do just that.

In so saying it has certainly been my experience online that by far the most vitriol and unreasoned verbal abuse emanates from the “britnat” section.

Vitriolic comments about Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond are rife and commonplace and would be more tolerable if at least acknowledged by the “sanctimonious” element who demonstrate more their prejudices than they do any good arguments.

Into this category I would ascribe Paul Lewis’s letter inasmuch as he proceeds in his comment without any concession to the fact that such “trollery” is not confined to any one section of political preference.

As with other mediation services, like Ofcom, Ofgem, etc, newspaper media website moderators can surely distinguish between apparent inarticulate forum posting and letters comments and should do their jobs accordingly.

Ian Johnstone

Forman Drive

Peterhead