# Daily Mail Mods abusing their power! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150 "2015-06-22T13:59:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dibbs)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/1 "2015-06-22T13:59:24Z")
Behold evil words from one of the biggest online newspapers in the world, The (London) Daily Mail: “The comments below have been moderated in advance.” With those simple eight words a person can be made to feel stifled, gagged, frustrated, angry, marginalized, compromised, misunderstood, disempowered, wounded, cutoff, ridiculed, undermined, manipulated, … and so on and so forth, all under the guise of “keeping things civil.” Sure. People should not be permitted to make threats towards others or use gratuitous profanity but, beyond that, one ought to be able to speak the truth as honestly as they see fit! To me it’s really disgusting that a place like the Mail can hire people to shamelessly use their positions to create an artificial sense of what the general perception is regarding any “controversial” issues that come up via their articles. And there’s basically not a thing that a person can do about it except to stand by and watch a BS picture of things being created to serve an agenda, and it’s almost always a LIBERAL one! Any thoughts?:mad: ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/2 "2015-06-22T14:11:04Z")
It is laughable to call the Daily Mail ‘liberal’. It’s solidly right-wing. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/3 "2015-06-22T14:16:00Z")
Are we in 2008? I thought everyone world over knew about the Daily Mail’s bullshit by now. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/4 "2015-06-22T14:21:33Z")
The Daily Fail actually moderates comments? Huh. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/5 "2015-06-22T14:24:52Z")
> [@Dibbs](#): > > Any thoughts?:mad: No one takes online comments seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Dibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dibbs)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/6 "2015-06-22T14:39:46Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > No one takes online comments seriously. I do, sorta.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/7 "2015-06-22T14:40:22Z")
> [@glee](#): > > It is laughable to call the Daily Mail ‘liberal’. > It’s solidly right-wing. It’s laughable to even call it a “newspaper”, given their occasional forays into whole-cloth fiction in their “reporting”. But their bullshit is definitely reactionary right-wing bullshit. > [@zweisamkeit](#): > > The Daily Fail actually moderates comments? Huh. There’s a scary thought, considering the ones that get through. ---
**Author:** ![Dibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dibbs)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/8 "2015-06-22T14:41:19Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Are we in 2008? I thought everyone world over knew about the Daily Mail’s bullshit by now. Well I guess I’m a late comer.:o ---
**Author:** ![Dibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dibbs)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/9 "2015-06-22T14:42:40Z")
> [@glee](#): > > It is laughable to call the Daily Mail ‘liberal’. > It’s solidly right-wing. Then they have a lot of rouge Mods in that case.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/10 "2015-06-22T15:07:04Z")
Ban this sick filth! ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/11 "2015-06-22T15:24:03Z")
They’re a private organization, they can do what they want with their comments sections. Vote with your eyes/mouseclicks and just don’t visit the site if you don’t like it. Personally I think comments sections, while often toxic, offer insight into what people _really_ think and are valuable to an extent. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/12 "2015-06-22T15:32:21Z")
The BBC News website also heavily moderates comments in advance and even so, they still let through plenty of right-wing gibberish - so much so that someone invented an [automatic comments generator](http://ifyoulikeitsomuchwhydontyougolivethere.com/the-twat-o-tron/)which rather successfully mimics (or did at the time it was made) the sort of inane comments common to the website. ---
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/13 "2015-06-22T15:34:06Z")
Why would a reactionary right wing rag cull online comments to, paraphrase the OP, “promote a liberal agenda”? I assume OP also reads Daily Mail articles as well as the comments. What could possibly give him the impression that the Daily Mail is anywhere but well right of centre? Perhaps OP’s politics lie far more to the right then he realises or is willing to admit? ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/14 "2015-06-22T15:34:28Z")
Obligatory _Yes, Prime Minister_ quote: **Humphrey** : “The only way to understand the Press is to remember that they pander to their readers’ prejudices.” **Hacker:** Don’t tell me about the press, I know exactly who reads the papers: _[The Daily Mirror](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Mirror)_ is read by people who think [they run the country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mirror#Political_allegiance); _[The Guardian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian)_ is read by people who think [they ought to run the country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian#Social_Democratic_Party_and_New_Labour); _[The Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times)_ is read by people who [actually do run the country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_Majesty%27s_Civil_Service); the _[Daily Mail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mail)_ is read by the wives of the people who run the country; the _[Financial Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Times)_ is read by [people who own the country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Times#Audience); _[The Morning Star](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morning_Star)_ is read by people who think the country ought to be run by [another country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union); and _[The Daily Telegraph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Telegraph)_ is read by [people who think it is.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Telegraph#Political_stance) **Sir Humphrey:** Prime Minister, what about the people who read _[The Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_%28United_Kingdom%29)_? **Bernard:** _Sun_ readers don’t care who runs the country, as long as [she’s got big tits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_3). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/15 "2015-06-22T15:37:33Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > The BBC News website also heavily moderates comments in advance and even so, they still let through plenty of right-wing gibberish - so much so that someone invented an [automatic comments generator](http://ifyoulikeitsomuchwhydontyougolivethere.com/the-twat-o-tron/)which rather successfully mimics (or did at the time it was made) the sort of inane comments common to the website. In a similar vein there’s the [Daily Mail headline generator](http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/toys/dailymail/), my favourites so far being “WILL THE UNEMPLOYED MOLEST YOUR PETS?” and “WILL FEMINISM INFECT TAXPAYERS’ MONEY WITH AIDS?” ---
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/16 "2015-06-22T15:38:50Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Personally I think comments sections, while often toxic, offer insight into what people _really_ think and are valuable to an extent. Not a pleasant thought, as what people seem to _really_ think isn’t too dissimilar to a ranting racist uncle. ---
**Author:** ![Dibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dibbs)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/17 "2015-06-22T16:10:10Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > They’re a private organization, they can do what they want with their comments sections. Vote with your eyes/mouseclicks and just don’t visit the site if you don’t like it. > > Personally I think comments sections, while often toxic, offer insight into what people _really_ think and are valuable to an extent. Easier said than done, especially since it seems like all of the English-speaking papers in the world get their heads-up from the DM … and, to my knowledge, don’t have a substantial website like the DM has. I don’t know how you can get that kind of value from a place that bullets so many posts that people write in that place but don’t go up. I like it that they have LOTS of articles constantly featured of current events along with photos, but it’s getting to be a joke to actually think they really care about wanting to know what us regular folks think by letting us give our thoughts without feeling as if Nazis are looking over our shoulders. But who knows?, maybe one day I’ll come into a billion dollars and will be able to have my own newspaper website, allowing me to indulge in my own cockamamie way of fooling the masses into seeing events in the world through my own warped point of view.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/18 "2015-06-22T16:17:54Z")
> [@Dibbs](#): > > Then they have a lot of rouge Mods in that case.☹ (Color Added.) That’s nothing compared to their mascara Mods! ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/19 "2015-06-22T16:23:05Z")
I can’t remember the last time I read an unmoderated comments section on a blog/newssite for anything but laughs. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150/20 "2015-06-22T16:23:29Z")
> [@Dibbs](#): > > Easier said than done, especially since it seems like all of the English-speaking papers in the world get their heads-up from the DM … and, to my knowledge, don’t have a substantial website like the DM has. No, no one takes their cue from the Daily Mail online comments. It’s meaningless in the grand scheme of things - do you really feel that the comments on the Daily Mail website has any impact on other papers, let alone anyone else in a position of power? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-mail-mods-abusing-their-power/723150.md?page=2)