Readers react negatively to disclosure of poster’s identity

<jats:p> Negative consequences can face a news organization that “outs” an anonymous online commenter, according to a qualitative study of one incident of media “doxxing” within The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s online site, cleveland.com . Posters said privacy is a significant issue, and the newspaper violated its ethical duties by unveiling the identity of an anonymous poster, regardless of the reasons. Some also threatened to delete their online user accounts or unsubscribe to the newspaper. </jats:p>