Mods Removing threads

[Tilly]

Could others please let me know that if a mod deems a thread to be removed is it discussed/decided by others.

 

I ask because the explanation given for the removal of a thread I started was 'we have a policy of not naming individuals'.

 

I understand the policy although I do think it has been broken a few times and many individuals have been named on this forum i.e Jackie Jackson, Ros Blackburn and many on BB.

 

The thread i tried to start was about a high profile celebrity who denies rumours that his teenage son has ASD.

 

Tilly

[mossgrove]

Tilly

 

I removed the thread in question with the support of the other mods.

 

You may not agree with the distinction but the discussion was about the son of a celebrity who is a child and not in the public eye in the same way that the celebrity is.

 

Jackie Jackson, Ros Blackburn etc are public figures and published authors within the world of autism and as such do not need to be protected from publicity.

 

I really cannot imagine any purpose would be served by preventing discussion of BB contestants, but I have to confess I never really understood why you would want to discuss them in the first place.

 

I hope this makes things clearer!

 

Simon

[fiorelli]

Hi Tilly.

 

I know how frustrating it is when you go to the trouble of writing a post that you think is worthy of the boards, only for it to get deleted. However, in this instance I'm sorry but I feel I need to agree with the Mods. Let me explain why.

 

The post was about a family. A mother. A father. A son. They were/are having some problems. They are dealing with it in a way that they deem appropriate at the moment. They however, have people saying how they are not doing the best for their child. That they should be doing this, that or the other. They are having people basically saying they are bad people for not getting their child diagnosed and treated. They then have a lot more people writing about them in papers, on the internet. Talking about them in private, in public. Whispering behind their backs, maybe even saying it to their face. The child is getting labelled with a disability that he may or may not have, even though he has had no medical person diagnose him. This disability has a big 'stigma' about it. The child has to live with this whether he likes it or not. Whether he has this disability or not.

 

Neither the mother, the father, or even the son, have the knowledge, or recourse to come on here and give their side of the 'story' because in all probability they do not even know this site exists, or that they are being discussed on here.

 

I for one, know I would not be happy - am not happy - with Louis being discussed between people without my knowledge. I would hate to think that he is the recipient of the same kind of attention as this son, mother and father.

 

Whilst the father may be a public face, the mother and child certainly are not, and outside of his work, the father isn't either.

 

They deserve to have their privacy respected, just as we do.

[Gardenia]

Fiorelli that was a very fair comment, which showed both sides of the coin, but i do think we have all been guilty of discussing people and their children without their knowledge e.g. my son came home from school at the beginning of the year with a letter about this forum and that a child, staff and school had all been discussed without any of the aforementioned's knowledge or permission.

 

I know the post which Tilly had removed has been openly discussed on another forum and it was interesting to read others views - some were all for the celebrity to announce that his son had an ASD and promote public awareness whilst a lot of people thought we should give his family the privacy which they were in their right to have. I too don't like to think that me and mine are being discussed but that is the nature of people and I hold my hands up to doing the self same thing.

 

Gardenia

[baddad]

Fiorelli that was a very fair comment, which showed both sides of the coin, but i do think we have all been guilty of discussing people and their children without their knowledge e.g. my son came home from school at the beginning of the year with a letter about this forum and that a child, staff and school had all been discussed without any of the aforementioned's knowledge or permission.

 

I know the post which Tilly had removed has been openly discussed on another forum and it was interesting to read others views - some were all for the celebrity to announce that his son had an ASD and promote public awareness whilst a lot of people thought we should give his family the privacy which they were in their right to have. I too don't like to think that me and mine are being discussed but that is the nature of people and I hold my hands up to doing the self same thing.

 

Gardenia

 

Hi gardenia - to clarify that situation...

A post was made identifying all sorts of personal information, and was edited very rapidly. Unfortunately, we can only mod when we become aware of an infringement, and that, as you will appreciate, is not always an instant response.

Our terms and conditions are fairly explicit about posting this type of information, and we would ask all members to support us by reporting any posts they feel contravene those guidelines. While they may sometimes seem a little over-sensitive, you really just have to ask yourself one question - what if it was me on the receiving end?

I totally agree about human nature etc, and that's a fact of life. 'On forum', though, has a potential readership that far exceeds the boundaries of the school gate or the local playgroup, and the make-up of those reviewing the information is an unknown quantity too.

 

Hope that clarifies the situation, and again I would reiterate that 'heads ups' in the direction of any infringement of the forum rules is hugely appreciated.

 

L&P

 

BD (for and on behalf of the mod/admin team)