I’ve been a Washington Post (WaPo) subscriber off and on for 60+ years and 30 years continuously this time. Although it’s always been an ultra-Liberal Socialist Rag, I’ve maintained my subscription to understand the alternative reality of the Liberal Left and some comic relief as their obvious mistakes are so blatant as to be humorous. Because Liberals rarely serve in the Military and the rank-in-file WaPo is an ultra-Liberal, many of their more blatant errors are in their Military coverage although their other coverage gets its fair share of faux paus.
In recent years I have been a frequent WaPo commenter gleefully pointing out and correcting their numerous errors but have noticed fewer and fewer comments from Conservative readers have been showing up. I had assumed that this lack of Conservative comments was attributable to fewer and fewer Conservative WaPo subscribers as the paper kept drifting further and further to the Left but recently I have learned otherwise. It seems the WaPo just censors, deletes and ultimately bans Conservative commenters to avoid WaPo embarrassment from having their errors and biased coverage exposed. I know this because that is what has happened to me.
Although I was routinely making respectful but provocative comments, for some reason and without warning or justification my ability to comment was abruptly and without notice shut off and I was banned. A couple of times a week my comments would garner “most responses” and were often even WaPo featured comments but that made no difference. My only transgression was I routinely pointed out glaring mistakes in their reporting that I’m sure were embarrassing to the WaPo because it called into question the accuracy of their entire article.
Although being banned was irritating, what was even more so was the WaPo had the chutzpah to tell me: “If you think this has been done in error, please contact our community team.” Of course they failed to mention that when someone “contacts the community team” they get the below “auto-reply” so what is the point in the WaPo directing someone to contact their community team? It is obvious there is NO Community Team, just an auto-reply that tells loyal readers to “go pound sand.”
The only good thing that has come out of this experience is I have found out why WaPo Comments are so heavily skewed Liberal and only occasionally does a Conservative comment slip by the WaPo censors. It's because as soon as a Conservative commenter is detected, they are banned and never heard from again. Mystery solved and, in the immortal words of Paul Harvey, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
Since being banned weeks ago, I have written, emailed and phoned the WaPo several time to appeal my ban but have gotten only the below auto-reply and definitely no satisfaction. I will attach below my latest exchange and the email I sent directly to the WaPo Executive Editor but I'm confident I will never hear from a real live Washington Post person ever!
To: Army-COL
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2022 5:43 PM
To: Sally.Buzbee@WashPost.com
Cc: Kat.Downs@WashPost.com
Subject: FW: Response to Ticket #[2249327] Re: I have been banned from commenting
with no explanation and for no reason
Ms. Buzbee, Washington Post Executive Editor,
See below, I am a retired U.S. Army Colonel/06 with 30 years of service serving in significant Pentagon positions. I routinely make respectful but provocative comments and a couple of times a week my comments would garner “most responses” and are often featured. For some reason and with no warning or justification my ability to comment was suspended/banned. My only transgression is I routinely point out glaring mistakes in your reporting that I’m sure are embarrassing to the Post because it calls into question the accuracy of your entire article.
Part of my frustration is the capricious and arbitrary manner in which you exercise your power of censorship which probably accounts for why the overwhelming majority of your comments lean left; you just ban anyone that might post a right leaning comment or point out an obvious mistake in your reporting. One example was recently your crack military reporter mentioned someone in their article “had been drafted into the Navy during Vietnam.” When I pointed out the Navy not only DID NOT use the draft during Vietnam but had not drafted anyone since WWII, my comment was deleted as “violating community standards.” Seem “facts” must violate WaPo “Community Standards.”
Finally, here is the way you inform a reader they have been banned, they get this banner when they got to comments:
Your account has been banned from
commenting.
Someone with access to your account has violated our community guidelines. As a result, your account has been banned. You will no longer be able to comment, use reactions or report comments. If you think this has been done in error, please contact our community team.
The height of chutzpah is when you say: “If you think this has been done in error, please contact our community team.” When someone “contacts the community team” they get the below “auto-reply” so what is the point in you directing someone to contact the community team?
Although I don’t expect you to even read this email let alone reply but it feels good to get this off my chest. Regardless, I have a Blog with ~ a quarter of a million hit and I intend to begin posting all the WaPo mistake with my corrections there. Previously, I would have just posted them in your comments.
v/r
Army-COL
Blog: https://old-soldier-colonel.blogspot.com/
From: Washington Post Customer Care [mailto:help@washpost.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2022 1:54 PM
To: Army-COL
Subject: Response to Ticket #[2249327] Re: I have been banned from
commenting with no explanation and for no reason
##- Please type your reply above this line
-##
|
|
This email is a service from Washington Post Customer Care.
To further prove my
point, before I was out right banned, one of my factual comments I posted was
removed by the WaPo as “violating WaPo Community Standards.” The only “WaPo Standard” violated was being
100% factual and contradicting WaPo Fake News.
Below is what I sent to the WaPo to find out what I had done so I wouldn’t
repeat my “transgression.” Of course the
WaPo never bothered to respond.
This below was the
comment I made to the article: “Former Special Forces soldier and onetime
congressional candidate arrested in Capitol riot case
And the WaPo removed it with the following comment:
This commenter has been removed by a moderator for violating our community guidelines.
So that I don’t violate WaPo “standards” in
the future, can you tell me what, other than being critical of the Washington
Post, was objectionable about this below comment?
THANKS
COLONEL (Retired) US Army
=============================================================================
I think the 6 January
Insurrection was horrendous and condemn everyone that participated but for Mr.
Hawkins to claim “Five people died as a result of the riot” is
disingenuous, misleading and untrue.
Dr. Francisco Diaz, the
district's chief medical examiner, announced the causes of deaths as:
Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick suffered two strokes and
died of natural causes a day after he confronted rioters at
the Jan. 6 insurrection, the District’s chief medical examiner has ruled…. the
autopsy found no evidence the 42-year-old officer suffered an allergic reaction
to chemical irritants…”
Ashli Babbitt, 35,
died by homicide from a gunshot to the left shoulder. She was
shot by a Capitol police officer while trying to climb through a door near the
House chamber.
Kevin Greeson, 55,
died of natural causes from cardiovascular disease. From Greeson, of Athens, Alabama.
Benjamin Phillips, 50,
died of natural causes from cardiovascular
disease. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Phillips of Ringtown,
Pennsylvania, was a computer programmer who founded a social media website for
Trump supporters.
Roseanne Boyland, 34,
died by accident from acute amphetamine intoxication. Boyland, of Georgia, wanted to be a sobriety counselor.
The Only person that died on 6
Jan or as a result of the Insurrection was Ashli Babbott.
Two people with heart disease died of a heart attack, one drug abuser OD’ed, and the Capitol Police Officer died but none of the
deaths were attributed by the DC Medical Examiner.
“Democracy Dies in Darkness and the WaPo is Turning Out the Lights.”
The most disingenuous thing in this article is Derick linking to this early WaPo article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/two-arrested-in-assault-on-police-officer-brian-d-sicknick-who-died-after-jan-6-capitol-riot/2021/03/15/80261550-84ff-11eb-bfdf-4d36dab83a6d_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_12&itid=lk_inline_manual_10
Instead of this later WaPo article correcting the misinformation in his referenced article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/brian-sicknick-death-strokes/2021/04/19/36d2d310-617e-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html
That is a blatant effort to mislead readers. Typical of a dishonest WaPo writer (can’t call him a “reporter” or even a “journalist”).
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