The thorny issue of whether to moderate or not every post at FV is brewing and it is brewing really hot. Those in control of the forum take the position that it is needed to make the forum hygienic and less toxic but people not in control of the forum see the effort as a form of censorship.
I used to blog at PCIJ until Mr. Alecks Pabico got pissed. I challenged most of its assumptions about GMA and its pro-Justice Puno stand and the guy said I was being off-track. I said he can delete my comment if he does not want it but of course the effect of that is that I would be opting out from their blog forever. He did not delete my comment but I opted out from their blog nonetheless. PCIJ is a place where you can disagree most contentiously without your comment being deleted, only forewarned. They do not want “yes people there” -, they want people who disagree with them and put their assumptions to the crucible to find out if their assumptions are within the realm of reality but because the blog is inherently “investigative”, PCIJ’s reporting is laced with personal outlook and perception of their writers who were from the great University of Diliman who may not be aware that their passionate assertion of their positions already approaches the level of plain “hubris”.
PCIJ attracted so many talented visitors; some are faceless and feeling entitlement to use some pseudonyms they thought would enhance the aura and mystique of their persona, and for that matter their point of view. They even toyed with the silly idea that the use of a handle was consistent with the practice of our great patriot-writers to avoid being exposed and provide the Spanish authorities easy leads for their arrest. Some of you could be rolling on the floor already laughing. These faceless bloggers would even point to your uncrossed T’s and undotted I’s as an argument that your position on the issue is weak.
But most of these faceless bloggers are plain impostors who occasionally suffered from verbal diarrhea and take umbrage for taking them to task to put off their masks, make their credentials public to help the readers read through their bias or vitriolic remarks. These faceless bloggers are licentious and hideous. I called them juvenile delinquents who take comfort in the idea that they can defecate in public places as long as they can cover their face. Now, you invite more hideous remarks.
People are attracted to a forum where their views and opinions found acceptance and they lingered in the forum feeling they add up to the forum’s sparks and luster. Soon all these bloggers converge in a forum where their views are commented more favorably by people who think they are entitled for their views receiving the same good reviews. An atmosphere of camaraderie with the writers, contributors and readers is developed and for me this condition is very dangerous.
After I left PCIJ, I found MLQ3 Blog and lingered in it for a while. Faceless bloggers abound at MLQ3 whose hubris is as intense as the PCIJ. At PCIJ you feel that you were interacting with some intelligent human beings, at MLQ3 mostly with intelligent robots. But because these are mostly robots, their thought process appeared to be pre-programmed and so their biases. The serious stuff at MLQ3 is as heavy as its rubbish. PCIJ and MLQ3 have their own sets of faceless bloggers who think that there is absolute freedom to malign an individual they disliked, government officials and fellow bloggers alike. I blogged at Ricky Carandang’s site and the funny thing is, I found it more acceptable than PCIJ and MLQ3.
Finally I found Filipino Voices. I found the bloggers faceless no more, except for a few. Just like any other blog, you cannot choose your visitors and therefore choose the ideas you wanted to read. At FV, one is free to contribute or comment as long as your host does not consider your contribution/comment personal. I have no objection with this policy. In fact I was glad Nick moderated one of my comments which I also found objectionable after I sobered up. But there is now a popular clamor among FV community to relax this “moderation policy” and to publish everything one wanted to say and let the readers decide if the article/comment goes beyond the norm of decency. Let the marketplace be the invisible regulator of decency and civility. If the post is plain rubbish, it will seek its own true level in the marketplace. As for the juvenile delinquents suffering from verbal diarrhea I have described above, the best antidote is to ignore them.
The right to moderate cannot be left entirely to an individual’s singular appreciation that the post is licentious, because of the possibility that it can be exercised unjustly and tyrannically is great.
I still look at FV, different from all other blogs; tolerant of other views even if uncouth and abrasively expressed. I wanted FV to remain this way. Press freedom is better abused than curtailed and it should remain tolerant of the ideas we hated not only of those we liked. I would like FV or Nick to allow rubbish and non-rubbish to compete in the marketplace and let these varied point of views seek their own true level in the collective appreciation of those who read and contributed to FV. Otherwise, FV can also be like just any other blog, self-righteous in its determination of what one ought to read and what not and when that happens, FV could be just another blog of mutually admiring bloggers and readers. This could signal the death of press freedom as we know it.
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JCC,
This blog is for freedom of speech, and expression. It hardly censors.
Personally? I want nothing more than NOT to moderate, but when the discussion degenerates into mindlessness or when the discussion goes down to name calling and threats, a line must be drawn.
It isn’t because we want to moderate, it is because WE are forced by it through necessity.
You people only see what you want to see. You dont’ get feedback from people who DON’T post on our threads. Why? because they’re afraid the regulars will swallow them whole.
The Comment Policy has BEEN implemented for sometime. The User Agreement too. We’ve had writers leave because the crowd is unruly. We’ve had people who stop opening FV because the crowd is a mindless horde that for all the intelligence the readership claims they have, WE are undisciplined.
The issue isn’t about freedom of expression: the question is, do our commenters know how to behave beyond being petulant children and act like adults?
This blog does not censor, so much as we keep people in line to FOCUS on REAL issues. How many times do I have to say it? Do i HAVE to keep saying it until people START to listen?
You still refuse to acknowledge the validity of the contrary view.
Great article JCC. I very much agree with you. When I can see ALL comments, I can distinguish between the straight-shooters and the not. Expecting every other adult here to be able to do the same isn’t unreasonable.
What’s going on here? JCC and cocoy seem to have the the same view about moderation, and yet they talked as if they’re at odds with each other. I can’t understand this.
Bert,
I agree with JCC on the premise that i would /love/ nothing more than /not/ to moderate. I am for small government after all and regulation is appalling to me.
I disagree with JCC on the premise that we should remove all moderation from Filipino Voices. We’ve been there before. That was the norm when we first started. But a few rotten eggs ruined it. To the point that we stopped looking at issues and started bashing each other. So the blog’s purpose, to raise the discussion to a higher level fell apart. How can we not moderate then? How can we not impose some measure of order? Let loose simply does more harm than good.
And normal people who would want to read our work, and read or comments, they get put off by it. that’s the feedback. so we have to put in some measure of control, if only for the purpose of holding back egos.
look i understand, in the heat of discussion, we all sometimes forget. hence, some measure of control. for so long as I moderate, then i promise to be fair. Sorry, but the comment policy and the user agreement stands. there simply no way to go around it at this point.
My promise to our readers and commenters is that I will be fair.
FV is a free blog site and it holds by no means a financial capacity to employ an independent intermediary to moderate everybody’s responses. FV has Nick or Cocoy except, I consider them as volunteers. They have another work to render to earn a living. We have to respect their time instead of draining their energies. Contributing writers must understand the risk and their own responsibilities instead of putting all that burden to FV.
There maybe no legal value on personal attack, unless one gets a heart attack. I love FV. Matira ang matibay….
I have facebook if you want to get physical with me… LOL
Great blog Atty. JCC…
leytenian,
I use my Facebook as a Social Venue, not for implementing Quasimodo attack. LOL!
jcc,
Though we are “Freethinkers” we should also apply our mannerism as if, see fit! We are human being, and have the rights to throw “FECES” or “DUNG” (due to further trajectory) if we decide to do so. I believe in democracy, also, the Freedom to express ourselves.
You’re right Bert. What’s up with these two. LOL!
Mario, Bert;
Did you mis this line?
“I would like FV or Nick to allow rubbish and non-rubbish to compete in the marketplace and let these varied point of views seek their own true level in the collective appreciation of those who read and contributed to FV.”
Leytenian, Thanks.
jcc,
Just like what I have said.
It would be disgraceful, to read such hideous rhetoric conclusion(s). My feeling, do have a GIANT eraser or White Out handy…!
I agree with the premise that moderating is constructive, as the Philippines needs a higher-minded, issues-based discussion forum. It does not need another chat room where every potty mouth can insert personal slurs at a whim. Editorial judgment is difficult, I am sure. But you have the right, and the good intent behind it, so moderate away . . .
Joe
Joe, I’ve been to many American blogsites, lots of potty mouths there as well as moderations, some even worse.
Bert,
The US is actually not the point. The point is the Philippines. Why do you give a ratspatootie what happens in the US?
Joe
I have an 80 gb ipod classic, and I wanted to place some books in it, but apparently it has no facility. And ipad is a little expensive and I hate to part away with my ipod. Luckily, I encountered a program inhttp: // ebookhood [dot] com /ipod-ebook-creatorwhich converts text into book form for ipod, using the “Extra” section. Now, I already have 4 books, the longest is over 400 pages, which I can read to while away the long trip back home.[Edit by Cocoy - This comment is moderated as it is unrelated to the topic. The author's apology is accepted, hope it doesn't happen again.]
My apology for misplaced comment above.
JCC is negotiating and Nick is yet to respond.
Even response is time-bound aside from moderating content away from the its “analytical anthropology”.
FV has a problem it cannot solve.
JCC:
We have crossed paths many times.
On this path, my voice is joined with yours!
Magnificent piece!
It’s rather disgusting that FV would resort to censorship and use excuses such as “disciplining” other bloggers or commentors who happen to have contrary views. Tsk tsk.
There are many blogsites where comments which puts the owner of the blog or the moderators in a bad light and comments get
moderateddeleted.Mainland China does this, too, so why complain?
Good post.
I would welcome moderation though, when FV becomes a gladiator arena rather than a boxing fight.