Alabama Media Group has retired reader comments on AL.com, ending one of the state’s longest-running — and rowdiest — online comment sections. The company cited the time and resources required to police the forums and pointed readers instead toward what it called a more constructive space for engagement.
Comments have been a defining feature of the site almost from birth. When it launched as Alabama Live, much of the content was built around reader conversation, with news, sports and entertainment mixed in. Over time, the operation evolved into a real-time digital news organization while conversations migrated from forums to comment threads and, more recently, to social media and in-person events.
A Tiny Fraction Drove Most of the Noise
In its announcement, the company acknowledged how lopsided the conversation had become. Across Advance Publications’ websites, which draw roughly 50 million unique visitors a month, just 2,340 people produced more than half of all comments — meaning only a sliver of AL.com’s 12 million monthly visitors ever left or even read one.
The change mirrors moves across the industry: Cleveland.com, The Plain Dealer’s website, dropped comments the same week, and outlets nationwide have been shutting down anonymous threads over the past decade as trolling and vitriol mounted. Company statements noted that uncivil exchanges and off-topic attacks consume moderation resources that are better spent on local reporting, and that anonymous platforms also invite political operatives working under multiple screen names.
Readers who still want to reach reporters directly can do so by clicking staff bylines for email addresses — a feature many other outlets have abandoned. For Alabama and Auburn sports chatter, the company is steering fans toward its dedicated Facebook pages.