Breitbart

Something is going on at Breitbart News that makes no sense. No, I'm not talking about the usual hoards of liberal trolls who post there using multiple accounts solely to mock, insult and wreak havoc. I'm talking about Breitbart censoring or banning readers who don't violate its' terms and conditions for posting. Perfectly good comments often get instantly removed. Comments that DO violate site policy are often allowed to remain. I looked at Breitbart today. Dozens of "regulars" who posted there just a couple of months ago - people who left comments that were funny, thoughtful, insightful, pointed, etc., without violating policy are no longer there. They were banned, or chose to leave because of Breitbart's behavior.

In addition to removing good comments and banning good readers, Breitbart has a list of "forbidden" words that can't be used in comments. You can say, "Trump isn't anti-semitic, he supports Jewish people", but you can't say the same thing using the word "Jews". You can say, "The hunter killed a protected animal" but you can't say, "No hunter should kill a protected animal" because the word "kill" is forbidden. At one time (not sure about now), the personal names "Val" and "Soros" couldn't be used.

Wanting a comments venue that is respectful and community-oriented is one thing. Imposing ridiculous restrictions, bias, and punishments on readers who come TO Breitbart for a sense of community is another. According to Disqus, which provides the commenting venue, it's moderators who work for Breitbart who remove comments and ban readers, not Disqus. Shame on Breitbart for all of this. I once got banned from the ABC News comments section after stating (in response to an article) that non-whites have historically engaged in slavery too, that slavery wasn't solely a "white thing". I expected more from Breitbart, which censors or bans readers who otherwise AGREE with it.