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> The "comments editor" is normally called a "moderator" I know! I wanted to emphasize the equivalence between a print letters editor and a comments moderator.
by denton-scratch 4y ago
> The "comments editor" is normally called a "moderator"
I know! I wanted to emphasize the equivalence between a print letters editor and a comments moderator.
Obviously it's hard to unpublish a letter to the editor in a print organ (you could leave it out of the second edition, I guess). So print editors are forced to pre-moderate.
- denton-scratch 4y agoAlso worth noting: print letters editors don't just moderate; they edit. I once had a "letter to the editor" published. They cut an important chunk of my prose, and added a misleading headline. That was 30 years ago, and I've never written to an editor since. When I used to moderate the comments section on a political site, I would edit, but very cautiously. Mainly, I would remove addresses and phone numbers of people being criticized in a comment, and removed completely most kinds of bigotry and prejudice, and most exhortations to criminal acts. This was an "open posting" site - very strongly anti-censorship - but we still got attacked regularly for moderating at all.