John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE BY JONATHAN COOK IN THE UNZ REVIEW
“Even with Corbyn Gone, Antisemitism Threats Will Keep Destroying the UK Labour Party”
When it comes to comments by readers, The Guardian newspaper has a multi-layered, very active system of censorship.
Its complete operation is not publicized. You must experience it to learn about it.
First, it allows comments only on a very limited number of articles, articles whose subjects are carefully selected, many of them being banal matters.
Second, it rather freely exercises its right to delete comments it doesn’t like, even if the comments reflect no rudeness or bad language.
Third, it frequently just decides to close off commenting for some article with no explanation given.
Fourth, if you do post a few comments the editors don’t like, you are put on a kind of period of probation in which everything you write is reviewed before publication. You receive a warning to this effect when you go to comment.
Fifth, if you still persist in saying things they don’t like, you are banned from commenting, and it’s a permanent ban. The banned reader is referred only to a set of standards, boilerplate stuff which explains absolutely nothing.
Very free and open, don’t you think? And air-tight, operating so that no one but the affected readers are aware.
It is virtually the opposite of what a liberal or open-minded publication would do. Genuine liberals, whether individuals or institutions, simply do not operate that way.
On the subject of The Guardian, readers may enjoy this:
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2019/09/12/john-chuckman-comment-an-article-refers-to-the-guardian-as-britains-leading-liberal-newspaper-heres-what-translates-into/
