Whidbey newspapers have unique abilities using Facebook as their operating platform for allowing comments from readers online. These abilities allow the Whidbey newspapers to change, distort, manipulate, and control the dialogue. Here are three methods used:
Masking comments – Masking is the art of hiding others comments from persons who remain logged on to Facebook. What is interesting is that when logged off those comments that are masked suddenly appear. An example of this method is shown below:
The document on left identifies the comments viewed when not logged onto Facebook. The document on the right depicts the comments visible when logged onto Facebook.
Click on the images to enlarge
Comment illusion – Illusion occurs when a person remains logged on to Facebook, and as long as that person is logged on, his/her comments are visible. After the person logs off Facebook the comment is no longer visible because it got deleted. Facebook has visiblity settings in their comments social plugin that allow a moderator to set the visiblity of comments made by individuals on the comment section. What this means is that if the Whidbey News Times or South Whidbey Record does not want your comment to appear they set your “visibility” to “has limited visibility,” and your comment appears to you and your friends but the comment will not appear to the general public. There is no notification of this to the person making the comment, and the comment will appear to you as long as you stay logged into your Facebook account. If you log out of your Facebook account the comments will not be visible to you either. An example of this method is shown below:
The document on left identifies the comments not visible (deleted) when not logged onto Facebook. The document on the right depicts the comments visible (illusion) when logged on to Facebook.
Click on the images to enlarge
Comment deletion – Comment deletion occurs when someone does not like your comment. Logged on to Facebook or not, the comment is deleted. In fact entire sections of dialogue are getting wiped out therefore, the conversation never happened. An example of this method and other methods previously discussed are witnessed in the examples shown below:
Click on the images to enlarge
The numbered arrows correspond with the deleted comments found below:
1. “Molly MacLeod Roberts, PUBLIC BUILDINGs or not makes no difference! It is ALL public property. It does not matter. “Signs placed in the county right of way are usually placed by the property owner who owns the property adjacent to the county road (i.e. PRIVATE property).” Molly MacLeod Roberts Then they are in violation of the law!” Ken Wolf
2 “Molly MacLeod Roberts, Steve “the WEANie” Erickson has plenty of crododile tears, and is willing to share with you.
Bottom line here is that campaign signs should not have been placed on ANY public property. No amount of obfuscation by Internet trolls changes that FACT.” Ken Wolf
3 “Molly MacLeod Roberts, WHO cares other than you and Steve “the WEANie” Erickson? IF it means so much to you and Steve then do a stake out and catch the rapscallions responsible for these outrageous atrocities!
On a similar note SHOW us the RCW or ICC that specifies the differential in fines. WE don’t believe what YOU are saying!
4. “Molly MacLeod Roberts, you are so smart. Leave it to you to wander off topic then credit yourself for being so clever for your amazing fact finding abilities. Who would have thought that someone could get a traffic citation for placing a campaign sign on public property, and that the fines for placing a sign vary according to whether the sign was placed in a school zone or construction zone. Imagine what the fine would be for placing a campaign sign in a construction zone where they are building a school! BTW you have top billing for this wonderful thread on islandpolitics.org.” Ken Wolf
So when David Svien, the sports writer for the Whidbey Examiner, says: “P.S. — Comments appear, disappear and re-appear on the WNT and Record all the time, and it has little to do with censoring (the WNT doesn’t have the time or backbone to censor comments). The Facebook app just doesn’t work that well.” We know what the real scoop is:
“Admins can choose to make the default for new comments entered either “visible to everyone” or “has limited visibility” on the site (i.e., the comment is only visible to the commenter and their friends), to help mitigate irrelevant content.
Admins can also blacklist words and ban users. If a new comment is published from a banned user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility.”
http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/comments/
Tags: Censorship, Kasia Pierzga, South Whidbey Record, Whidbey News Times
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You got it Ken.
What is troubling is that they hide behind the facade of facebook to do what they do, or don’t do. Now I have no problem with the Whidbey News Times censoring users, it is their website and they can do as they please. But when they do not clearly explain how their commenting plugin works, what it’s effect is on users and readers and how they may be using it or not using it to control the conversation it does become troubling.
Along with the newspapers clear as mud policy and the fact that when you post publically using the Facebook Social Comment plugin you grant a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to Facebook for every word you type I stay as far away from Facebook as I can.
Everyone thinks they are getting something free from Facebook… well, I have been on a fast train to Georgia and I can tell you for a fact that there isn’t anything that is truely free.
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Uber-liberal Nels Kelstrom apparently has free reign on the Whidbey News Times to say anything he wants, whenever he wants, any time he wants.
Here is what Nels Kelstrom’s reply to a letter at the Whidnbey News Times looks like when I am NOT logged into Facebook:
Here is how Nels Kelstrom’s comment appears when I AM logged into Facebook:
This the WNT letter: http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/opinion/letters/166588676.html
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I just looked at the article in question and your comments are now visible. BTW I am not logged into any Facebook account.
Whidbey News Times has made a bad mistake by going to Facebook. It is giving them a horrible name by having a commenting system that works sporadically if at all, one minute you see the responses and comments the next you don’t. However, they may be using it to their advantage to silence message that they do not approve of and may be hiding behind the “it’s Facebook” excuse to give some cover to them. Their lack of information on the Facebook commenting system is even more troubling. It is as if they want people to wonder if they are indeed censoring their users omments.
It is clear that the WNT has a political agenda, it is also clear that their commenting system has some major problems. Put the 2 together and it does appear suspicious. Another funny thing is that other newspapers do not seem to have the problems that the WNT has with their Facebook plug in which does which makes it even more suspicious.
Here is what the WNT states on their FAQ page:
“Why? Facebook commenting encourages and rewards real identity, which we believe is essential to thoughtful community discourse. Anonymous and mean-spirited comments – which put off many readers and hurt forum participation – are dissuaded and curtailed. Because our goal is honest disclosure of commenter identity, our editors are authorized to block comments from any reader who tries to circumvent the rules, regardless of the nature (positive or negative) of their comments or contributions to the forum.”Their rules on their FAQ page are as clear as mud. So they block people using false identities to ensure “honest disclosure of commenter identity” and then when you visit their rules page the rules are also as clear as mud..”Without limitation, we reserve the right to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us in our sole discretion and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request.”
So…I guess it boils down to the WNT and Sound Publishing being the liberal news organization that it is may object to anything that a conservative may comment based on the rule “otherwise objectionable to us in our sole discretion”. But…they can always blame it on Facebook to give them a little needed cover…
And who ever said the news media was fair and objective? Here in Island County we have one choice, Sound Publishing or nothing at all…..either play the game by their rules or don’t play…sounds like a good case for the FCC OR FTC to me….
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