The more comments on this site which I read there certainly is a great divide that is evident. This includes degrading remarks, which I ignore to the fullest. I recommend that commentators avoid making and responding to derogatory remarks as this only reduces or eliminates credibility. There also appears that there may be an infiltration of sorts by organized outside influence that is illegitimate with attempts to sway opinion with incorrect information. The false statements is another issue and I believe that fact checking would go a long way on this platform and others like it. Perhaps an independent council, of sorts, for lack of a better word, of fact checkers doing their civic duty to keep comments factual to help raise the level of critical thinking of the commenters and, in turn, the readers. Just trying to start a democratic dialogue regarding, what seems to me, to be a plague, or a pandemic, of misinformation. There may also be a collateral affect to help curb a similar situation which is occurring in real time with the present US administration's breach of their constitution's first amendment rights. Beloud