Tampa Bay Online Engages In Censorship
Tampa Bay Online, which is somehow partnered or owned by The Tampa Tribune and WFLA News Channel 8 has decided to remove reader comments en masse. On February 10, the website posted a story about a group of people protesting Scientologists. A day or 2 later there were over 100 comments, most not favorable to Scientology but none that used profanity or otherwise violated the website's Terms Of Service.
This morning I looked at the post again and over 90 of the comments have been marked as: (This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Not one or two comments, not even half the comments, but rather almost all of the comments. The only remaining comments referred to other posts and now really don't make any sense. Way to go Tampa Bay Online. You are one hell of a trusted impartial news source.
It is your web site and you are of course free to do as you please. Why offer the community a discussion and then delete 90% of the responses for no apparent reason? Is your site really controlled by Scientologists? Did your staff receive threats as mentioned in the article? Why censor these comments?
Tampa Tribune, WFLA and TampaBayOnline, you have lost all credibility. If you will blatantly enforce your views like this by deleting comments, how much are you tainting your other news stories?
This morning I looked at the post again and over 90 of the comments have been marked as: (This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Not one or two comments, not even half the comments, but rather almost all of the comments. The only remaining comments referred to other posts and now really don't make any sense. Way to go Tampa Bay Online. You are one hell of a trusted impartial news source.
It is your web site and you are of course free to do as you please. Why offer the community a discussion and then delete 90% of the responses for no apparent reason? Is your site really controlled by Scientologists? Did your staff receive threats as mentioned in the article? Why censor these comments?
Tampa Tribune, WFLA and TampaBayOnline, you have lost all credibility. If you will blatantly enforce your views like this by deleting comments, how much are you tainting your other news stories?
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6/1/2008 10:19 AM
FATWHITEMAN.COM wrote:
Not really, but police in Scotland sure are acting like Clearwater, Fl. Police in protecting the Cult of Scientology.Anger as police ban placards branding Scientology a cultI realize that The United Kingdom is a collection of subjects rather than citizens and do not enjoy the freedom of speech to the same degree as we do in The United States, however, this is a pretty blatant abuse of personal opinion by the state, even for the U.K.The Sunday Herald in Scotland though doesn't seem to be as infiltrated with cult members as TampaBayOnline though. At least they didn't remove all ...
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
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In Xenu we trust!!!
Is Xenu's little friend Gabriellu?
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Tampa Tribune, WFLA and TampaBayOnline are leaves of a tree. Who controls that tree answers to that you speak of.
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Oh, it gets even more interesting... seen this?
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/20/me-scientology-critic-found-dead-at-clearwater-hom/?news-metro
Quick article quotes:
February 20, 2008
CLEARWATER - Shawn Lonsdale, who became one of the most bedeviling local critics of the Church of Scientology, died of an apparent suicide at his Clearwater home this past weekend. He was 39.
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Clearwater is spirit central for Scientology.
If you can stomach reading their drivel:
http://scientology.fso.org/
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My favorite comment, if TBO hasn't removed it yet, is to the fact that the police spokesperson that says no foul-play is a scientologist. Ha!
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