By: E&P Staff The Democratic mayoral candidate for Saratoga Springs, N.Y. has told the local paper to stop publishing anonymous comments from readers on its Web site, which he called "racist."
Ronald Kim, the city's Public Safety Commissioner, said that The Saratogian's Web site, saratogian.com, publishes reader responses to stories that mock Kim's background. Kim's father is originally from Korea.
"It's very disturbing," Kim told the Times Union of Albany. On the Saratogian Web site, Kim has been referred to variously as "Chairman Kim," "Dictator Kim," and "Kim Il Ron," all references to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il.
"These statements are offensive and degrading and beyond the scope of any acceptable level of political campaigning," Georgana Hanson, Kim's campaign spokeswoman told the Times Union. Hanson has called on the Saratogian to "improve its policing of the site to ensure that all racist and inappropriate statements are removed from the blog, and that they only allow comments posted by verified, identifiable individuals."
Saratogian Managing Editor Barbara Lombardo told the Times Union that that several offending comments have been deleted from that site, and some users have been banned due to repeat offenses. Kim claims that while some offensive remarks have been removed, others remain posted.
"We do take this seriously," Lombardo told the Albany paper. "All newspapers are new at this, and we are trying to feel our way and be responsible."
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