User Experiences With Editorial Control in Online Comments Sections After the 2011 Terror Attacks in Norway

This article investigates user experiences with editorial control of online comments sections in online newspapers, in light of the public backlash against online comments after the 2011 terror attacks in Norway. We analyse data from a quantitative survey (N=3470) among users of four newspaper websites, in order to understand different user groups' experiences and attitudes towards editorial control against a spectrum between liberal and interventionist positions. We find that the liberals tend to be male, participate more frequently, prefer anonymity and rate the quality of the debates higher than the interventionists. Regarding their experiences with control, liberals have more often had their comments edited or removed by moderators, and have more often not understood why this was done. They also believe that moderation has become more strict, and that their opportunities to speak their minds freely have become worse after the terror attacks.