Banned for calling out dogwhistling posts

[DebbieHurry]

Yesterday, there was yet another dogwhistlng, vague post on the lines of " Should I send my kids back to school in September? Social media warns of a terrorist attack". This is about the 5th such post in the last 10 days. All by posters spreading panic and fear. I have reported in the past and MN has ignored it. Posts continue to mushroom.

Yesterday, I posted telling people not to get news from Tiktok and pointed out that there have been a spate of such posts.
My posts were deleted, and then my account was banned. My previous username was @KateMiskin.

Could @MN please explain why they allow blatant scaremongering and dogwhistling on a parenting site when the police commissioner has urged people not to spread rumours? And why my account was deleted? I said nothing offensive or that broke the rules. I have been a member for over 20 years.

Yep, and there is never any explanation of why the reported posts have been left to stand. And absolutely agree that they need to look at the wider context.

Perhaps we need to start writing to companies that advertise on MN to get them to exert more pressure? I'm sure that some of them won't want their brands being associated with a moderated site where racism and disinformation are freely left to stand?

Oh but the absolute savaging teachers got for doing that!

There's been a fair number of what I would call party political propaganda posts just recently. Very cleverly written, and deliberately worded to sow seeds of discord, if you know what I mean. One by one, drip drip drip, they have the ability to influence people's mindset without them realising. Like reading a particular newspaper every day and not noticing the editorial slant that gradually pulls you round to their way of thinking.

Oh, and looky loo - another school attack thread last night.

Ooh, the 'anyone going to be homeschooling' thread from a week ago has suddenly been deleted with the message 'withdrawn by MNHQ'. Not sure what 'withdrawn' means in this case.

I've just reported the school lockdown one from last night to see if this is a new policy and whether it will be deleted too. 🤞

Can we have clearer guidelines on this if you wish us to “challenge on thread” rather than removing even really obvious shills? And some info on how MN is identifying/managing the increasing use of shills on MN?

I asked about this on another recent thread in Site Stuff:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff/5389421-racist-thread?reply=146333215

but the question is not yet answered.

I’d reiterate as well that the insistence on leaving reported misinformation and disinformation (as opposed to opinions) standing and telling people like me to “challenge on thread” is basically telling me to justify my existence on MN.

Having been born Not-male, Not-white, Not-MC, Not-het and having acquired Not-youth and Not-fully able bodied with the years I could easily spend my entire MN time “challenging” shills and bots but why would I? I joined MN the first time looking for a women centred site to share serious and inane chat, not to spend my leisure time providing “challenges” to bots and shills.

I can’t say I entirely agreed with Eddo-Lodge’s approach but my gods MN these days makes me want to disengage, with the expectation that I justify my existence as part of participation on any thread more substantial than “how old do I look”.

As someone in the “justify your existence on thread” groups I’m also supposed to know how to do this without being deleted for “troll hunting” without any clear guidelines and whilst the official line is “report the problem posts”. I’m not psychic sadly.

And when reporting you are told to “challenge on thread”.

So challenging a post with misinformation as incorrect is then accusing the PP of lying which is “troll hunting”.

If HQ want us to do the moderating of bots and shills we need clearer guidelines or more leeway. Every SM site is having problems with bots and shills, rules designed for human posters posting largely in good faith do not work when shills operate on industrial scale. Allowing them free reign just makes the site an unpleasant place for those of us who fall in the target range of said shills.

Nope

"Thanks for the report. The other thread was withdrawn by MNHQ not because of a new rule/policy or because it went against our Talk guidelines so we are letting this thread run."

So no clarity about why the other thread was deleted. How are we supposed to know what to report?

"The OP has been with us a number of years and we have no reason to believe they are anything but genuine."

Posting stuff that comes directly from far right twitter fearmongering about a terrorist attack on schools is fine so long as you have a posting history...?

If we are the main moderators of MN via the reporting facility because MNHQ don't actively moderate, it would really help if there were some clarity around posting of disinformation. They used to be about not wanting to make parents lives more difficult but apparently scaring parents with suggestions that they need to take their kids out of school because there's an imminent terror threat doesn't count.

It's pretty obvious MN is being targeted from elsewhere. The flag thread currently running is a perfect example.

It's ridiculous that thread is left to run. Has Elon bought Mumsnet?

That flag thread is disgusting.

There's about 5 of them tbf...

I’ve always used mumsnet as a safe space, but as a British born Asian I don’t consider it safe anymore, it’s as bad as X and fb, I left those platforms due to the racist rhetoric that was allowed.
My mind hurts thinking people actually openly justify attacking people of colour and it is seen as okay and free speech.
Politicians using racial slurs, poc being physically attacked, threatened and terrified but hey that’s okay because the attackers are upset at the state of the country.
The flags are being used to intimidate and cause fear to poc and if you say that aloud you are gaslit.
And to those who say “ahhh how pretty the streets look with flags” you are emboldening the sinister elements behind this savage rhetoric.

Yep. All the same shite being trotted out on each of them.

I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry, MN really is a cesspit just now.

@meisafairy it is awful, I am so sorry. The last few weeks have been disgusting both online and in real life.

I’ve resorted to hiding the offensive threads! Been here about 100 years and never felt the need to hide a thread ever! I’ve hidden about 5 this morning!

There’s no point challenging or even posting on them - I spent hours doing that last night! Challenging & reporting, not how I expected to be spending my Bank Holiday!
i won’t be doing it again I’ll be voting with my feet!

If not one commenting it would stop them getting traction and appearing in active threads.

However, it would also mean some posters could believe everyone agrees with term, as already happens on some much hidden boards.

I started my day reading a nice thread, elsewhere, about the best way to make a fish finger sandwich. I can't take any more MN supported filth right now so I'm off to see whether mayonnaise wins over tartare sauce. Not a flag or fascist sympathiser to be seen in its pages.

That's just it, isn't it?
I'm sometimes torn between leaving threads alone and so they get ignored, but then if you do it becomes an echo chamber, bigotry is left unchecked and you'll just let people get more entrenched in their views/all back clapping each other/then members of the minority they're attacking /discussing getting more demonised.
It's not easy/clean cut.

Just wanted to add my agreement to the sentiment of the thread.

I reported the school lockdown thread as misinformation. This was the reply:

Hi BIWI,

Thanks for reporting.

The post in itself doesn't break our Talk guidelines. We'd encourage MNers to challenge such points within the thread itself as others have done, in our experience, exchanging views via civil debate is a great way of dealing with possible misconceptions.

So we'll let the discussion continue for now but please do report any further concerns, we're always happy to take a look.

I have reported my ‘further concerns’, and quoted Becky’s comments about deleting mis/disinformation. As well as asking why we should have to challenge.

@BIWI I've made the mistake of 'challenging' on threads before, and then been berated by people who then pile on and tell me how wrong I am.

Life is too sodding short to argue the toss with the hard-of-thinking online.

Thanks BIWI

The key phrase in that response from Mumsnet is ‘Civil Debate’ 😬

What’s happening on here atm is as far away from Civil Debate as you can get!