posted by Mike Madison at 6:19 AM /
When we reject a Comment on the blog, we usually don't tell anyone (except each other). Here's an exception, a Comment that I just rejected. It reads:
We don't censor the comments we don't like. (Actually, we don't censor anything. We reject some Comments.) Read the Comments Policy on the right column of the blog. We reject Comments that are submitted without the commenter's real name or means of identification.
Not surprisingly, the Comment above was submitted -- anonymously.
Updated (also on Jan. 7): Another anonymous comment this morning, perhaps authored by the same soul, offers this:
Well, hmmm. I'm just not sure what to make of this. At one level, this is just someone (or a couple of people) with too much time on their hands, and I'm a little reluctant to belabor the point or give them more blog time.
At a different level, the comment raises an important point, and one that I should address.
Read the notice at the top of the right column of the blog. Neither Joe nor I write for or on behalf of the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon. Our opinions are our own. We don't submit them (or comments) to anyone else for review before posting them. With the exception of one notorious and regrettable incident a little over a year ago, having to do with the infamous Secret Steps, we don't edit them after the fact in response to comments by others.
I'll be even a bit more direct than that. Readers who take the time to read mtl magazine (and its predecessor, Mt. Lebanon magazine) may have noticed that this blog and its authors have never been mentioned in the pages of that publication. (That's fine, by the way; I'm not asking for a plug. We have many, many thousands of page views per month as it is.) We've never been contacted by or even corresponded with the editors of the magazine or anyone who writes for it on a regular basis. When it comes to published information about Mt. Lebanon, no one other than Joe and me determines what appears on this site.
On occasion, I've talked about the blog and its contents with members of the Commission, the School Board, and full-time employees of the Municipality. They have been unfailingly gracious in my conversations with them, even though there have sometimes been disagreements about opinions shared here. I'm confident that the idea of anyone censoring this blog would be anathema to them, as it is to Joe and me.
"Quit censoring the comments you don't like. "
We don't censor the comments we don't like. (Actually, we don't censor anything. We reject some Comments.) Read the Comments Policy on the right column of the blog. We reject Comments that are submitted without the commenter's real name or means of identification.
Not surprisingly, the Comment above was submitted -- anonymously.
Updated (also on Jan. 7): Another anonymous comment this morning, perhaps authored by the same soul, offers this:
Mike,I've think your blog is censored too. Anon
Well, hmmm. I'm just not sure what to make of this. At one level, this is just someone (or a couple of people) with too much time on their hands, and I'm a little reluctant to belabor the point or give them more blog time.
At a different level, the comment raises an important point, and one that I should address.
Read the notice at the top of the right column of the blog. Neither Joe nor I write for or on behalf of the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon. Our opinions are our own. We don't submit them (or comments) to anyone else for review before posting them. With the exception of one notorious and regrettable incident a little over a year ago, having to do with the infamous Secret Steps, we don't edit them after the fact in response to comments by others.
I'll be even a bit more direct than that. Readers who take the time to read mtl magazine (and its predecessor, Mt. Lebanon magazine) may have noticed that this blog and its authors have never been mentioned in the pages of that publication. (That's fine, by the way; I'm not asking for a plug. We have many, many thousands of page views per month as it is.) We've never been contacted by or even corresponded with the editors of the magazine or anyone who writes for it on a regular basis. When it comes to published information about Mt. Lebanon, no one other than Joe and me determines what appears on this site.
On occasion, I've talked about the blog and its contents with members of the Commission, the School Board, and full-time employees of the Municipality. They have been unfailingly gracious in my conversations with them, even though there have sometimes been disagreements about opinions shared here. I'm confident that the idea of anyone censoring this blog would be anathema to them, as it is to Joe and me.
Labels: are we clear? crystal
2 Comments:
Mike, you've been down this road before so the purpose of this comment is not to rehash old issues. And please forgive me for stating the law to a law school professor (I'm truly preaching to the choir here) . . . but the laws provide Blog Lebo with wide protections when posting anonymous comments by third parties. Specifically, Blog Lebo and its owners/operators are not liable for the comments placed on its blog by others.
That said, we both know that clear cut, affirmative defenses do little to stop the need to defend yourself against the frivolous threats and claims made by unprofessional plaintiff's lawyers. And that costs time, money and a lot of aggravation.
However, in this instance, I would ask that you error on the side of posting anonymous comments provided they don't attack certain individuals or create obvious headaches for you guys. Your Comment Policy still affords you with wide latitude to eliminate those sorts of things and you should do so (just to save yourself the headaches).
I guess my thought is that if there are people out there who still want to post anonymous comments on the issues facing our community, I (and I'm sure others) would like to read them. I think you have been heard on this Blog to say in response to many of my rants that not everyone has the skill, guts or even the time to wax poetic in an email to the School Board or to stand up at a Commission meeting or to volunteer to serve on a board. This Blog provides those people with an outlet.
Further, if the rogue anonymous posters are spewing misleading facts, half truths, scare tactics and other crap around the community, I think some folks would like the opportunity to set the record straight.
Just a thought . . .
And to all of the posters out there who are reluctant to share their opinions publicly, I'll leave you with this story. As some of you know, I recently posted some comments about Dan Miller's position on traffic calming. Simply put, he and I disagree. Despite that, Dan hasn't tried to reassess my property, get my kids kicked out of school or soap my windows. Instead, he got my email address from a mutual friend, shot me an email and we are meeting for breakfast on Saturday to talk about our differences and share ideas (hopefully about things other than just traffic). Now, isn't that how it's supposed to be in a town like ours?
Dave, you're right on the law, of course, and I agree 100% with the implication of your concluding anecdote. Come on in everyone; the water is warm.
The question is really just a cost/benefit equation, and as you note, Joe and I have been down this road before. We're not going to change the policy.
If you really have a hankering to comment anonymously on something that I write, then come over to Pittsblog (now up and running again!) or madisonian.net, my other blogs, where anonymous and pseudonymous comments are permitted. Among my three blogs, it turns out that only in the comfy bubble of Mt. Lebanon are commenters unable to expressly themselves with consistent civility. Go figure.
Post a Comment
<< Home