Should anonymous comments be banned?

By Chris Daly 

According to TIME, legislation has been proposed in the New York Assembly that would ban the widespread (but often annoying) practice of posting online comments anonymously. I like comments: I like to read them, and I allow them on this site. 

But here’s the thing: 

–Signed comments are sometimes good and sometimes bad.

–Unsigned comments are sometimes good and sometimes bad.

–All of the worst comments seem to be anonymous.

Let’s discuss. Feel free to comment. But let’s try this: if you insist on commenting anonymously, you must follow the guidelines that journalists use for granting anonymity for sources. That is, you have to have a reason for your anonymity, and you have to disclose as much information as possible about that reason.