I will be the first person to applaud The Daily Advance for providing an online medium for the public to make comments on issues of the day. I am glad to see that this service is being advertised in the print version of the paper as well, since this may serve to encourage greater participation. An exchange of ideas is certainly a good thing.

However, there are times when discourse is inappropriate. Two perfect examples of this have been on public display in The Daily Advance's online comment section. Both involve children, legally classified as such because they're under age 18. When children are involved in incidents, they should be protected until law enforcement releases information through official comments.

Regardless of who is guilty or innocent, gossip will occur and has the potential to forever ruin reputations. Once something is said, there are those who will believe it no matter what else is said. It is not fair to put children in this position. There will be enough gossip going around without it being publicly displayed.

CAROLYN O. RIGGS

Shiloh