Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Is Newhouse scrubbing everything?


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "In case you're wondering about the Newhouse opinio...":
Maybe it's just a glitch, but it appears the comments have disappeared here, too:

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/06/diana_bajoie_now_on_new_orlean.html

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2012/06/with_bajoie_earmarks_it_was_bu.html 


This is rather disconcerting.  I know they have hired a new "comment moderator" but I didn't realize that person came from the Dr. Joseph Goebbels' School of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

Maybe this can be chalked up as a technical glitch but why would the story about AZ I referenced before only have 2 negative comments left?

What the hell is going on over there?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

they are just trying to free up space on the servers.
http://www.theamericanzombie.com/2012/02/in-hot-water-my-arse-is-dark-yoda.html

You are the bomb, Zombie... Happy belated Blog incarnation day! The rich grounds that you have plowed have (and will) contribute mightily to our collective mental and spiritual health. Hat's off to you my brother!!


http://www.theamericanzombie.com/2012/02/in-hot-water-my-arse-is-dark-yoda.html

Anonymous said...

The new moderator is named Maggie Calmes, and I believe she used to work at the Lens as something called an "engagement editor." Her new title is "community producer," and here's a bit from an email about her goals:

"I wanted to touch base with you here, because we really try to keep questions about moderation off of unrelated streams. I removed those comments in response to the question, 'Is there a contest to report the news first?' because it was completely unrelated to the story about two shootings. This is enforced throughout the site – for example, discussions having nothing to do with national politics frequently turn into arguments about Obama vs. Romney – we want conversations to stay on track."

She has a VERY narrow definition of relevance, and I agree the results are less than satisfactory. They've improved over the past weeks, probably because of numerous complaints, but on one memorable occasion I saw half of a thread vanish in seconds. :)

P.S. Even relevant posts on the subject of the changes instituted by Newhouse can evaporate, come to think of it-- short half-life, if they make a sufficient impression.

--muspench