ONCE upon a time trolls hid under bridges evilly in wait of billy goats.

But now they walk among us – though they are careful to keep their true, grotesque form hidden behind pseudonyms.

Today troll is internet slang. It is the word for someone who starts quarrels online.

They disrupt reasonable debate, they sow discord and foment hatred, they seek to provoke emotional reactions for their own twisted amusement.

We are familiar with them at the Hereford Times. They stalk the comments sections of our website and spread their poison on our Facebook page – as do their cowardly brethren on news forums around the world.

Some, including those who fancy themselves our rivals, delight in sneering at our work. They find fault at every opportunity and revel in their own self-regard.

But the Hereford Times has broad shoulders. We have served this community since 1832, and have stood firm against both pipsqueak and bully over the years.

Our more pressing concern is for those more vulnerable than ourselves.

Minorities of all kinds are being ruthlessly targeted, as are those fail to meet the trolls’ skewed sense of normality.

As a passionate advocate of free speech, the Hereford Times believes that being offended is the price we pay for the privilege of our open society.

But these ogres of the internet go too far. One day they will surely meet their Big Billy Goat Gruff.