The Sun Journal has to be the most cowardly newspaper I’ve had the displeasure of reading. In particular, the way it handles the commentary that accompanies online news stories is an embarrassment to freedom of expression.

While inviting discussion, editors will nonetheless pull down an entire thread at the first whiff of controversy. What constitutes controversy is poorly defined. Is a conservative bemoaning the liberal agenda as too much to bear? Pull the thread. Is a citizen questioning the local immigration issue offensive to all? Pull the thread. Is it sinful for readers to express their opinions about local crime? Better pull the thread before someone gets all upset.

Other newspapers will occasionally yank an offending item (most have a higher threshold of what is offensive) but leave the remaining thread online. I have not seen another newspaper pull blogs with such regularity and such wishy-washy reasoning.

I have not seen another newspaper so recklessly deeming certain contributors troublemakers and banning them permanently.

The editorial board, the technology department or whoever makes those decisions ought to muster up a little bit of fortitude and good sense. The Sun Journal wants to be the newspaper of record in Western Maine, yet it insists on defining what readers can or cannot handle.

The Sun Journal wants to be a grown-up publication, yet it behaves like a stubborn 5-year-old allowed too many responsibilities.

Grow up, Sun Journal!

Tom Slivinski, Lewiston