Newspapers allowing comments: controversial?

Bob Norman, in the New Times' Daily Pulp blog, writes about the new comments feature on Miami Herald stories, and is puzzled (and puzzling): Miami Herald wrestles with free speech.

Norman asks the Herald's Rick Hirsch about whether anyone is reading and editing the comments, which have been ... um... frisky on some stories, and Hirsch says they can't read them all immediately and depend on readers to flag unobjectional ones.

Seems to be standard procedure, but Norman wonders: that stuff seems a little dangerous for the Herald to publish, especially the totally unfounded stuff, and asks for reader comments. So far only a couple, but one commenter responds: Papers are not liable for the content that other people leave on their articles or on their blogs.

True? Norman is asking for more comments.