Internet newspaper discussion lists

Most internet newspapers offer opportunities to post reactions. In view of their content, these discussions are political in the sense that they concern actual societal issues: internet users may express their civil concerns and opinions. These discussion lists are evaluated regarding the question how readers’ reactions may be used as a source of information about prevalent discourses in society on a certain point in time. This question is addressed on the basis of three specific cases, namely readers’ reactions to news reports about:1. Geert Wilders’s anti-Islam film Fitna (March 2008);2. The broadcast of hidden camera footage of a convict in prison (April 2010);3. A call for a ban on head scarves (March 2011).These lists turn out to be kaleidoscopic at best, useful as preparation for a survey or as an inventory for argumentation.