Warning! Raw Story's website has always had too many ads and ads that cover parts of the articles and even some that cover other ads! But now it keeps sending my browser to Yahoo and a couple of totally suspicious unknown sites. This is only happening on Raw Story and I've run my security/antivirus program and not found any problems with my computer, so I can only conclude that their website is deliberately hijacking my system. I'm done with them.
In case you are curious here's the URL of one of the suspicious websites I mentioned. I haven't gone there so click at your own risk! https://yourmetshop.com/9gYzDpG5MgH6cV16vSUY5CK5BPJ8Qcs3vosxhxhAa40/?clck=wdjgk30cfi5jpbijil75rk7c&sid=24
RawStory TOS indicates that it is possible to write and obtain an explanation about what may account for being banned. I did that in October and re-sent my inquiry twice. I never received the courtesy of an explanation.
I am not one to abuse the comments section on any website. My biggest crime online is that my posts may go into more detail (length-wise) than others care to read. I'm Right-leaning on some things, Left on others. Overall, I consider myself a political agnostic because I'm not heavily partisan.
Perhaps the biggest irony is that I used to work as a journalist and earned my degree in the same. So imagine my surprise when, without any apparent violation or explanation, I found myself banned?
RawStory writes in their TOS: "A good rule of thumb is that if you are writing it to piss someone off, stop." That's rather ironic if you consider that their own writers and editors don't pull any punches. It's nearly impossible to be "hard hitting" and "nice".
In the few comments I posted in 2016 on RawStory, regulars there slammed me with ad hominem attacks. In hindsight, it appears that *some* of the regulars intentionally troll (bait) newcomers into defending themselves. This allows them to run off anyone they don't like for the RawStory violation of self-defense per the TOS: "If the other person 'insulted you first,' stop and flag their comment for a moderator and/or email *******@rawstory.com instead of replying with another insult."
Some of the regulars on the site seem to enjoy RawStory mod impunity insofar as they are permitted to put their combative style on full display for all the RawStory-reading world to appreciate without consequence. Would it really be so hard for RawStory mods to see where the insults started and ban *everyone* who piled on as opposed to singling just one individual out?
It's a mystery to me why, specifically, I am banned. But I am hardly alone. There are many reports of people who have been banned on RawStory.
I would suggest that anyone who has been banned without any obvious TOS violation such as threats or hate speech take to Twitter using the hashtag #RawStoryBanned. I'd like to see a true count over time, on Twitter, as to how many RawStory readers have been run off the site for less-than-clear reasons. With any luck, the hashtag #RawStoryBanned will send a message to management that the selective enforcement of their TOS is bad for business.
Lots of race baiting, light on the news
I was banned for insisting that liberals provide proof of claims. No facts or accountability allowed on this fascist site. The liberals who live on RawStory can swear and diatribe all day, as liberals. Make one comment that diverges from progressivism and BANNED, while they leave all the extremely vulgar, vacuous, and profane comments of the mindless, liberal, trolls on, of course. It's as bad as democraticunderground, bunch of censorship loving children.
I read it daily, good stuff