Decision to delete thread

[JenniferBarkley]

MNHQ, I know we're not allowed a TAAT but asking on here seems best. Why on earth was the "Sick of hearing about..." thread about the media coverage of cancer deleted? OP clearly took her time to explain her point in a measured way and many of us agreed with her. There surely can't be anyone on here who hasn't been affected by cancer in one way or another, why is only one viewpoint accepted?

There are more threads about deleted threads than actual threads on MN.

I would also like to know OP. And I think there is a poster who posted in error on a previous thread in Site Stuff who would like to know the same.

I have started reporting any thread I don't personally like the look of. Am expecting my ban soon (after 16 years membership) but I feel very strongly about this!

I don't think it was particularly clear that the OP was talking about media coverage of terminal illness. In her OP she said something along the lines of "used to be that people with terminal illness would retreat into their family to die in private" (not a direct quote as can't access the OP to quote directly, but not too dissimilar) and the trouble with that is that some people who are dealing with terminal illness will find the situation incredibly isolating. Life goes on around you as you try to process the impending loss of a loved one, and often those loved ones are also trying to live a life in the time they have left. By necessity you often have to carry on with normal life when things feel anything but normal. Feeling able to talk about what's going on, be honest and not have to hide it helps greatly in reducing that sense of isolation and disconnection that can arise in that period. Perhaps if the OP focused solely on the media portrayal it wouldn't have been so problematic, but she didn't, and very much left some of us feeling that we should be ashamed of ever talking about terminal illness. I think that could be why the thread got deleted.

I’ve got stage 4 cancer and would have been really interested to read that thread. It was zapped before I could. People like the OP may have views that others don’t agree with or that are controversial but surely that can widen the debate and be really enlightening to discuss, which is what MN is supposed to be all about. What @VindicaTeTibi says is really interesting and I’m sure the OP received a variety of opposing views. Unless they were a troll of course.

Hi @JenniferBarkley we'll take a look at this now and get back to you shortly.

Hi again @JenniferBarkley thanks for raising this with us. We've had a retrospective look at the moderation decisions here and agree that we were too hasty in removing the thread. Threads that are 'difficult' (for want of a better word) inevitably draw lots of reports but that shouldn't mean we can't have those discussions.

We can also see that lots of posters with personal experience of cancer were in agreement with the OP and it was emerging as an interesting thread. With that in mind, we've reinstated it now and will leave it to stand provided it stays on track.

Obviously, we encourage everyone to report posts you think break our guidelines - and we're thankful to all who do - but if it's a case of just not liking a thread, do bear in mind you have the option to hide it.

Thanks.

Thank you Becky, I really do genuinely appreciate that.

You're v welcome.

Appalling way of handing things.

Thank you for taking the time out to consider the thread and subject carefully and reinstating it

And now the SSE thread - after several weeks you decide to delete it? Why?

Even if the poster is a troll you can guarantee that there will be a hundred or more people like her trying to get some sensible action from SSE, so it doesn't matter if pressure is put on them to get a grip on customer service.

Threads that are 'difficult' (for want of a better word) inevitably draw lots of reports

And? The Advertising Standards Authority doesn't uphold complaints about ads just because there are a lot of them. They judge complaints on their merits.

if it's a case of just not liking a thread, do bear in mind you have the option to hide it

I think you need to take this attitude a lot more.

I was wondering what had happened to the SSE thread too. Is there a suggestion it's not true? I feel really sorry for the poster if there's any chance it is, she's been blocked at every angle so far and then it being removed from here would be the last straw I'd imagine. Also - there's loads of advice on there about what to do in scenarios like this and so many people do have issues with SSE. I don't know... so many of the threads I look at now go on to get deleted and often with very little follow up on the outcome.

I would imagine the SSE thread was deleted because of privacy concerns, the OP was very keen not to link it in any way to her real life, understandably.

Hi folks

We deleted the SSE thread because we had some concerns. We can't really chat about them here but if it gets ironed out, we'll reinstate it.

Thank you for the reply!

They often say specifically when that's the case though. It seems the OP had more of the opposite problem though - not enough visibility - seeing as she's contacted the press etc and apparently had no response.