Evening,
This is how it works. We have a duty rota and on each day there is a duty person who is responsible for looking at/dealing with reported posts. If they're straightforward then they respond immediately. If it's a more complicated/nuanced issue then they'll ask for advice. (This sometimes takes a while because others aren't always immediately available).
We have some basic guidelines - our philosophy and rules - namely that we don't tolerate personal attacks, obscene or illegal posts. So if you report something that falls within those boundaries then those posts will be deleted.
We don't trawl the boards looking for posts that break our rules, however, so we do rely on folks to report them - that means it's possible that we'll delete one personal attack on a thread and not another and this sometimes has the unfortunate effect of folks assuming we've been inconsistent at best, biased at worst. But the bottom line is if you think a post breaks our rules/ should be deleted, please mail us. We just don't have the resources to police every thread.
The problem with today's thread wrt TSAP was that it wasn't such a straightforward call to delete imho.
The duty person did remove a lot of reported posts from the thread which were clearly personal attacks but the real problem with the thread, in a nutshell, was the fact that many of the attacks were on an OP who was in a vulnerable position and who subsequently left. And deleting a thread because of the situation/circumstance/emotional health of the person/people involved is a tricky call and not one we take lightly - after all we can't expect posters to know when to tread carefully and when not to.
Secondly, we always have a reluctance (rightly I think) to delete threads on which hundreds of people have bothered to post. We hope, very often with good cause, that the process of debate very often allows a poster who might otherwise feel under attack to see the attacker is in the minority (and to be heartened/bolstered by that).
What's more, we weren't contacted by the OP herself to remove. But in the end after consultation (and with apologies somewhat belatedly) we deleted it. It was the right call I believe because as many of you involved in the thread felt instinctively there are just some things that are beyond the pale/ unacceptable on Mumsnet - and the heckling and ultimately undermining of a decent longstanding but vulnerable poster is one of those things.
I hope that explains how the process works - we do try to react as quickly as possible but with the best will in world there will sometimes be delays - please don't interpret that though as a lack of will or that we aren't listening. Your help in policing MN and just as importantly setting the tone/culture is integral - especially given that we perhaps aren't as resourced as a board our size would ideally be.
Thanks for bringing it up though - it's something that needed airing.