We have "shitstorms" here in the USA as well, for what it's worth. Popsci doesn't have control over whether their readership can filter through the comments we

We have "shitstorms" here in the USA as well, for what it's worth. Popsci doesn't have control over whether their readership can filter through the comments well. As for doing the filtering on the behalf of said readership... it appears they've decided they either don't have the ability, don't have the time, or simply don't see enough value in putting up with wading through shitstorms for every single article. Even if you have enough self mastery to avoid letting it influence you in the slightest, that's not a free effort. And for every person who learns the skill, another is born who has not yet learned it, and may never master it: I wouldn't cast it as a "solvable problem" at a public-at-large scale. The goal of trolls is to rile you up, not to get you to close your comments section. Stopping unmoderated comments is less "letting them win" and more "not playing their game on their terms". It is less "giving up" and more "picking their battles". They're still planning to engage with their community through occasional comments sections, and through other forms of social media. They'll still have to deal with trolls there. Just, hopefully, less frequently, in venues where they're more easily comabtable or less toxic.