Talk

Start new thread

Flip

Back to thread

Original poster

Banned for calling out dogwhistling posts

4 replies

DebbieHurry · 22/08/2025 07:43

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.

Go to post

MNHQ

PipMumsnet · 22/08/2025 09:28

Hello @DebbieHurry

Thank you. We emailed you last night so we please check your inbox - we see that you have not read the email we sent at 6:47PM. But just to be clear you were not banned and the only reason your posts would have been removed would be because they went against our Talk guidelines.
MNHQ

MNHQ

BeckyAMumsnet · 26/08/2025 09:28

Thanks for all your comments.

On the substance of what you say, it’s relatively straightforward to moderate posts that are explicitly racist or abusive, and those are removed quickly. Where it gets more complex is in areas such as immigration, national identity, or political debate. Illegal immigration as we are all acutely aware is a leading political issue in the UK right now and is covered widely in mainstream news. People will naturally want to discuss it here, and we don’t believe that shutting down those discussions outright - whatever your views of Reform or other parties - is a productive approach.

We are alert that conversations on these topics can often cross a line. The concept of a “dog whistle” is relevant here as while some people use the term to describe any coded or indirect way of pushing a hostile view, the line between legitimate political debate and language intended to signal prejudice can be subjective. This is why we don’t make snap decisions and take several factors into account, including the broader context of the discussion and the poster’s standing with us. On misinformation/disinformation - we do remove posts where it’s clear something is being used deliberately to mislead or provoke. But not every mistaken or questionable statement meets that threshold. Sometimes it’s simply someone being ill-informed (as mentioned on this thread there have been several instances of disinformation on other platforms that led to people asking those questions on Mumsnet.) In those cases, challenge from other posters, provided it’s civil, is often the best corrective. We also appreciate that posters can feel stuck on this - challenge in too combative a way, and you think it risks breaking our rules. On this point - we do consider context and we are happy to hear from posters who want to discuss a deletion.

On the frequent suggestion that we leave problematic posts standing “for clicks” - we want to be very clear that this is not true. Whether a post generates traffic or not has no bearing on how the moderation team handles it. Our decisions are based on our guidelines and values, not on site metrics. If we feel a post doesn’t align with Mumsnet’s values, it will be removed, regardless of how much traffic it generates.

We know it can be frustrating when our decisions don’t align perfectly with everyone’s expectations and in truth we can never have an approach that will suit everyone. But our principles are clear - racism is not permitted on Mumsnet, nor is disinformation used to cause harm. At the same time, we will not ban discussion of current political issues simply because they are controversial. Our task is to draw that line fairly, and to keep reviewing how we do so. Your feedback is always welcome, and very much helps to inform our approach so please do continue to share your thoughts as we are reading.

MNHQ

BeckyAMumsnet · 26/08/2025 09:57

@Kreepture It’s not correct to say we plan to change nothing. We already remove clear disinformation and will continue to do so. What we’ve tried to explain is that not everything reported as disinformation meets that threshold. It’s reasonable for posters to raise something they’ve seen elsewhere for discussion that doesn’t automatically mean they’re trying to spread panic or lies.

What can look to one poster like a calculated attempt to mislead may simply be someone misinformed or clumsy in how they’ve put things. When it’s clear content is harmful or designed to inflame, we remove it, but that judgement rests with us, and we’re basing decisions on more information than any individual poster will have. Of course we won't always get it right - and as we said, we're always happy to discuss anything you might disagree with.

So to be clear, we do act on disinformation and racist provocation and will continue to do so. What we won’t do is remove every thread simply because it’s reported as disinformation. Our role is to distinguish between deliberate attempts to mislead and legitimate (if sometimes poorly expressed) discussion of current issues. We’d ask posters to engage with that reasoning, even if they disagree, rather than assuming inaction from MNHQ.

MNHQ

BeckyAMumsnet · 26/08/2025 13:14

SpryUmberPoet · 26/08/2025 11:11

There is a user currently spamming mulyiple threads on the CITME board with a Facebook video on how the 7th October attacks were an inside job. I tried reporting them but mumsnet do not see a problem with it.

I have spoken to multiple Jewish mothers who used to find mumsnet a helpful resource, but have left because if the antisemitism that has been allowed to fester over the past couple of years. There are comments that would have been immediately deleted two or three years ago but that are now allowed to stand. Things that aren't even dogwhistly but blatant.

These posts were removed shortly after reporting - we're not sure why you'd think otherwise?

Watch this thread for updates

Tap "Watch" to get all the latest updates

End of posts

There are no more MNHQ posts on this thread

Back to thread

Flip