Tanstaafl Non Grata
The following was in my Draft File. I thought I had deleted it long ago.
It's original date was 16 Sep 2011.
I'm publishing under today's date, just to let those who never knew just what happened that I wasn't posting to the HD anymore.
Over the course of the past several months, I have had a dialog with an editor at the Herald-Dispatch concerning the deletion of large numbers of my posts on their now defunct Forums, and their current Article Comments area. These have not been pleasant items of correspondence, nor have they been elucidative of usable information.
I was accused of using a racial slur concerning the President of the US (I used the name Mutt for him - as he did himself in well-documented videos and print reports - actually published in the H-D as a matter of fact.) I was told that my post was too long (but those of another with whom I was having the discussion was some eight hundred words longer than mine and his was not deleted.)
And when I questioned that particular explanation, I was told that the editors did not know what the problem was and offered to republish my post IF I would retype it into the system.
__________________________________________________________________________
So, the days creep slowly by. The acrimony became more and more intense. And I finally said to myself, "Let's get it over with."
There came a day when about six different comments were sent and all were removed by the editors, except one , which did not meet their "rules". I sent an e-mail congratulating them for removing all but the one which plainly did NOT meet their rules.
I received a nasty e-mail back, and the war was on. I knew I would lose access, but I didn't give a damn.
So I checked the paper the next day, and there was a comment on a letter which took the paper to task for boosting Tomblin as Governor and Kessler for Senate President. I sent in a comment that "One damned Democrat was as bad as another." Of course, it was removed, but not until it had been there for a day and a half.
I hee-hawed to myself and re-posted it verbatim. Removed. Re-posted. Removed.
By this time I was tired of them not doing anything and sent a post - cannot quote exactly but gist was- "go ahead and remove it again, get it over with, ban me from posting. Come on, do it, that is what you DUMBOCRATS want anyway."
I got my requested action.
But then I began sending in letters to the editor - and every one that I sent was published. But I got tired of that pretty quick, and the election blarney was beginning to heat up so I just stopped.
It's original date was 16 Sep 2011.
I'm publishing under today's date, just to let those who never knew just what happened that I wasn't posting to the HD anymore.
Over the course of the past several months, I have had a dialog with an editor at the Herald-Dispatch concerning the deletion of large numbers of my posts on their now defunct Forums, and their current Article Comments area. These have not been pleasant items of correspondence, nor have they been elucidative of usable information.
I was accused of using a racial slur concerning the President of the US (I used the name Mutt for him - as he did himself in well-documented videos and print reports - actually published in the H-D as a matter of fact.) I was told that my post was too long (but those of another with whom I was having the discussion was some eight hundred words longer than mine and his was not deleted.)
And when I questioned that particular explanation, I was told that the editors did not know what the problem was and offered to republish my post IF I would retype it into the system.
__________________________________________________________________________
So, the days creep slowly by. The acrimony became more and more intense. And I finally said to myself, "Let's get it over with."
There came a day when about six different comments were sent and all were removed by the editors, except one , which did not meet their "rules". I sent an e-mail congratulating them for removing all but the one which plainly did NOT meet their rules.
I received a nasty e-mail back, and the war was on. I knew I would lose access, but I didn't give a damn.
So I checked the paper the next day, and there was a comment on a letter which took the paper to task for boosting Tomblin as Governor and Kessler for Senate President. I sent in a comment that "One damned Democrat was as bad as another." Of course, it was removed, but not until it had been there for a day and a half.
I hee-hawed to myself and re-posted it verbatim. Removed. Re-posted. Removed.
By this time I was tired of them not doing anything and sent a post - cannot quote exactly but gist was- "go ahead and remove it again, get it over with, ban me from posting. Come on, do it, that is what you DUMBOCRATS want anyway."
I got my requested action.
But then I began sending in letters to the editor - and every one that I sent was published. But I got tired of that pretty quick, and the election blarney was beginning to heat up so I just stopped.
posted by tanstaafl | 7:00 PM
1 Comments:
2011. Hmm. I was long gone by then. At one time my job was to monitor comments, and a tedious job it was. The rule then was that the HD wanted lots of reader comment, so unless a post was waaaaay out of line, it stayed up. But something obviously changed. Their loss.
Another thing: For a while, the HD could ban certain commenters, but people realized it was so easy to get around the ban that we stopped doing that. But then I was canned for the sin of being paid what I was worth, and things obviously changed after that.
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