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Rick Mercer's Online Comments Rant Calls On Media To Shut Down The Hate

"The only promise now is if you read the comments, you will despair for society."

Rick Mercer has had it with online hate.

The host of the "Rick Mercer Report" posted a rant to YouTube on Wednesday decrying the comment sections of news articles and the bullies they inevitably attract.

He used an example about a friend named "Bob" being mentioned in an article — exposure that ultimately invited an anonymous commenter to call the him a hypocrite and wish him a "painful death."

"The only promise now is if you read the comments, you will despair for society."

"I'm old enough to remember when the Internet happened, and the idea of a comment section after news articles, a debate, as it were, held a lot of promise," Mercer said.

"No more. The only promise now is if you read the comments, you will despair for society."

Mercer called on media organizations to "stop anonymous comments and stop the online hate."

But some organizations are already ahead of him.

Last year, CBC News shut down comments on stories about indigenous people because they drew a "disproportionate number of comments that cross the line and violate our guidelines."

The Toronto Star also ended commenting on its website in preparation for "new campaigns for our readers to have their say about the issues that matter to our city."

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