A chara, – Robert Leonard (July 25th) is quite right to highlight the often farcical and unbecoming exchanges seen among the readers’ comments in your online version. While the discontinuation of this facility might do the latter no harm, if it must be kept standards would surely be raised by the removal of the anonymity option for commentators. It is reasonable to assume that keyboard cowboys would be less trigger-happy if their contributions could be identified by neighbours, employers, and so on. — Is mise,
Dr GARETH P KEELEY
Gneisenaustrasse,
Düsseldorf,
Germany
Sir, – Robert Leonard's point (Letters, July 25th) on the "commentariat" and its contribution of "drivel" to the online version of The Irish Times is well made. One presumes that material published on the site comes under the umbrella of the Irish Times Trust and its governing princples. Is the trust satisfied that all this material meets the standard it itself has set,that "comment and opinion shall be informed and responsible"?
Personal rants under fanciful pen-names surely are neither. Yours, etc,
DENNIS KENNEDY,
Mornington,
Belfast BT7