hello Bob? Hello? Are you there? Hello Bob?
OK
So on Sunday I read Bob Herbert’s column in The New York Times, and I posted a response.
It was the normal, predictable kvetch about how people on blackberries and PDAs are so annoying when they text at the table or in the middle of a conversation blah blah blah.
I didn’t agree, so I posted a response in the ‘comments’ section.
You can read my comment yourself, but it basically says that, no, texting and use of the Internet is really a social activity, not an antisocial one, and that I do it all the time and often incorporate ongoing f2f conversations with what is happening online.
As it turns out, I was the only one to disagree with Mr. Herbert. Everyone else said, ‘how true’ or stuff to that effect.
OK.
Later in the day, I was delighted to get an email from The Times saying that my comment had been posted, #55, and a link. But when I went to number 55, I was astonished to see that it had been removed for:
“This comment has been removed. Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.”
Hmm.
Well, as you can see, there was nothing abusive or off-topic in my comment.
So I tweeted that I had been removed for no reason.
Then, to my astonishment, I got an email from something called nytpicker.com asking what I had posted that had been deleted.
So I told them.
And they posted the story on their website.
Then, they wrote to Diane McNulty who apparently deals with these things to ask why my comment had been deleted. Diane declined to answer them, so I wrote to her myself.
A few minutes ago, I got my answer.
An email from The New York Times, informing me that:
Thank you for participating on NYTimes.com. Your published submission can be found at this link:
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/opinion/17herbert.html?permid=55#comment55
No explanation.
No nothing.
So now, while I am happy that my comment has been deemed ‘inoffensive’, I am curious as to how many other benign comments The New York Times elides, just on a whim. And what is the basis of their censorship policy?
Bob Herbert, are you there?
Maybe you can tell me.
or, you can ask him yourself if you get a sec.
4 Comments
Adam Westbrook July 20, 2010
“An email from The New York Times, informing me that:
Thank you for participating on NYTimes.com. Your published submission can be found at this link:
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/opinion/17herbert.html?permid=55#comment55
No explanation.”
Nice to see these big publishers are really embracing the idea of community building. When will they realise it’s about talking *with* their readers not talking *at* them?
C.P.Hamilton July 19, 2010
THE EXPLANATION:
The comment was a logical, coherent objection to his entire line of reasoning. After reading your comment, I’m sure even he agreed with you. He would never admit though and was embarrassed publicly. It was at best a lame attempt at being controversial, he went out on a limb, and the it broke. Removing your comment was just damage control.
Just my opinion……what do you think?
Michael Rosenblum July 20, 2010
they have now re-instated it.
go figure
christina July 19, 2010
you’re probably just on some list somewhere that people reference and delete automatically without thinking because that’s what most people do: NOT THINK.