The Evening News Just Got Perkier

So this is old news by now: Katie Couric made her debut on the CBS Evening News last night. There are reviews all over the place -- here's TV Squads', and it looks like that right now, TV Newser is covering nothing but Katie.

They also posted the first five minutes of her first broadcast on YouTube, which is a good thing, as I don't watch the network evening news shows.

Now, there is a blog angle on all this; they have a blog for the show: Couric & Co. Looks like Greg Kandra, the blog editor, is doing the bulk of the posting.

Of note is their Rules of Engagement -- basically, their statement of what they're going to allow in the comments on the blog:

"There's legal language nearby. Here's the plain English: no libel, slander, lying, fabricating, no swearing at all, no words that teenagers use a lot that some people think aren't swearing but we do, no insulting groups or individuals, no ethnic slurs and/or epithets, no religious bigotry, no threats of any kind, no bathroom humor, no comparing anyone to Hitler, Stalin or Pol Pot. We expect lively debate, but comments should be polite and civil. No shoving or shouting. Please.

Yes, what is not allowable is subjective. But it's our blog. We're providing the field, the football and the goal posts. We can move them at will, or take them away."

As with many high-profile, high-traffic and especially political blogs, dealing with comments is going to be an ongoing hassle/challenge, so folks will be keeping an eye on how they deal with comments.

After the orgy of comments in the first few posts, things seem to have settled down a bit.

Thanks -- Joe

Tags: katie & co, comments policy, katie couric, cbs news