The Orlando Sentinel is no different than most news sites that allow comments on their news blogs in that they try to protect the casual reader from seeing profane or derogatory words.  I don't have a big problem with this in principle as I sure don't want my kids exposed to a bunch of explicatives when reading a news story. After all, it is their website and their rules and they don't even have to offer public comment. 

However, what does irk me is when a site does allow comments and then choose to censor it for some political or politically correct reason.  Its not that they censor some cuss words that pisses me off but what they consider to be a cuss word that is a concern.

This morning while reading a story on their site about Disney offering VIP passes to elected officials, I decided to be commenter number 148.  I entered my comment and when I submitted it, it immediately starred out a word they feel is derogatory.

Here is my submission as it appeared on their site:


Now here is what I actually submitted with the offensive word highlighted:


Apparently to the Orlando Sentinel anyway, referring to someone as a commie is vulgar. Now while I agree in principle that communists are vulgar and need to be eradicated like a dangerous cancer, I didn't realize that the Sentinel was so sympathetic to them and would want to protect them. Come on, really, COMMIE is offensive? Give m a break.

I knew that Tampa Bay Online chose to engage in censorship to protect their Scientology masters. Apparently Orlando Sentinel does so to protect their communist or socialist masters.  Must be a Florida thing.