Globe and Mail Comment Warnings, From Reviewing other Comments

Globe and Mail censures me for a review on someone else’s comment on an article I did not read. They used the word ~psychotic~ in jest, and this constitutes harassment or a personal attack. G&M your automated censure system screwed up. Toronto, Canada. Image by Don Tai

I am an online Globe and Mail reader, and occasionally comment on various news articles. The Globe and Mail has recently changed over to a new peer comment review system, where posters rate other people’s comments. As I would never comment anything that I would not say to a person’s face, I have never had a warning from my own postings. Today I was warned by the Globe and Mail, twice, that my review of some other person’s comment, violated community standards, and I have 2 remaining warnings before my account is restricted. This is ridiculous.

Firstly, usually the comments I review are not the articles that I read, therefore I have no context for the commenter’s remarks. Often it looks Ok by me, with nothing obviously malicious, but may be written in a malicious way. How would I know this?

Today’s comment, written by another poster on an article that I did not read, was:

Your “reasoned” argument indentifies you as a psychotic progressive!

This statement is not at all vulgar, and was said in jest. This was a joke, not harassment or a personal attack. The G&M needs to review its automated censoring system and get a life. Not all words can be characterized as malicious. Certainly the word “psychotic” is a dictionary word and can be used for good or ill.

I don’t even remember the article, nor the author, which was not I. The Globe does not even provide me with the title of the article in question. Idiots.

Damn it, Globe and Mail. Get a life.

Globe and Mail censures me for a review on someone else’s comment on an article I did not read. They used the word ~psychotic~ in jest, and this constitutes harassment or a personal attack. G&M your automated censure system screwed up. Toronto, Canada. Image by Don Tai

Here is my email to the G&M Newsroom:

Hi G&M,
Today I read and made a comment on your site. This comment was received Ok. In order to submit my own comment, however I had to review two other people’s comments. In the review of other people’s comments on articles that I did not read and usually have no interest, I received a message “You have 2 warnings remaining before your account is restricted. You rated this comment as civil, but it violates community standards”.

The comment: “Your “reasoned” argument identifies you as a psychotic progressive!”

Even with a cursory glance I would say that the poster, not I, wrote this in jest. There is nothing that hints of harassment or a personal attack in this comment.

This is not even my comment. I do not even know the original article nor the poster, but to censure your readers because of comments made by others somewhere in the world is ridiculous.

If you wish to go the way of the National Post, then pull down your comments section. To censure your readers because of the comments of someone in the world they do not know on an article they did not read is inexcusable.

Make your automated system smarter or do not use it.

Globe and Mail restricts my account because I approved someone else’s comment. The comment was: The disgusting vile left shows it’s true intolerant colours. I did not read the article, do not know the commenter, this was not a comment written by me, and I did not feel the comment was harassment nor a personal attack. Don Tai

Addendum: 2017-Apr-28 Today the G&M restricted my account, though I don’t really know what that means. I approved a comment that was edgy but I did not feel it was harassment or a personal attack:

The disgusting vile left shows it’s true intolerant colours.

There was some link, which I did not follow.

To reiterate, I did not read the article. This was not my comment. I do not know the commenter in any way. I did not feel that the comment was harassment nor a personal attack. Why am I being penalized for someone else’s comment? It is not my job to rate comments for the G&M, but they penalize me when I do not agree with their censorship decisions.

It looks like the G&M is trying to indirectly censor me, or coerce me into following their censorship rules. If I feel the comment is not harassment nor a personal attack then this is my judgement and mine alone.

Addendum: 2017-May-04 So I tried to make a comment today and was blocked, but only for specific “sensitive” subjects, even though I was censored about other people’s comments.

The Globe and Mail censured me because I approved other people’s comments that they believed were not acceptable. I now have a restricted account, but I did not know what that meant. Well, today I found out. Those with restricted accounts are unable to comment on what the G&M deems a sensitive topic, for 30 days. This is most unfair. So much for the G&M encouraging free speech from readers.

Unbeknown to me the G&M restriction is for 30 days and only for sensitive topics. I still do not understand why I was restricted and it was not even my comment that they believed was harassment or a personal attack. I still believe both of the above comments were made in jest and do not fall into harassment or a personal attack. Language can be used in subtle ways, and an automated language bot will not understand this.