| This strikes me as hypocritical, insensitive, and (perhaps)
outrightly anti-Semitic on Prodigy's part. Their stated policy is to
disallow offensive submissions, and they don't find this offensive?
And, before Don Feinberg chimes in, I have to say: What else
would you expect?
David
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VNS COMPUTER NEWS ................................. 206 "
VNS TECHNOLOGY WATCH .............................. 60 "
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VNS UK SPORTS REPORT .............................. 50 "
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...
Prodigy - Bans bias notes from bulletin board
{The Wall Street Journal, 24-Oct-91, p. B1}
Policy announced a policy of banning messages "grossly repugnant to
community standards," including expressions of bigotry and racism. In a
reversal from previous statements, Prodigy executives also called unacceptable
an anti-Semitic message that figured in complaints against Prodigy by the
Anti-Defamation League. In two letters and a meeting with the ADL, and in
interviews this week, Prodigy had defended carrying the note, which said,
"Hitler had some valid points" and observed or pogroms and the Holocaust: Jews
"only get what they so richly deserve." Yesterday Prodigy said it determined
it has never publicly carried that note, a statement the ADL accepted. In
fact, Prodigy said it rejected the note 15 times for public posting. "The
truth is we didn't post it then and we wouldn't post it now," said Prodigy
Senior Vice President Henry Heilbrunn. The ADL said the Hitler note was one of
several messages it received in a complaint about Prodigy Jeffrey Sinensky,
director of the ADL's civil rights division, said the organization checked
back with the complainant and believes the message may have been a private
electronic message between two individuals - as opposed to a public posting
for all Prodigy members to see. In a news conference in New York, Prodigy
officials said the company has "amplified" its definition of "offensive," and
will immediately promulgate its new guidelines over its network.
...
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| re .3
My sincere apologies for my obvious breach of Noting etiquette.
Just before I made my statement, I had read another note by Don
Feinberg. I then carried one of his thoughts, transformed in my mind,
into the offending passage.
As always, it's important to remember that Noting is *not* face-to-
face conversation. Sorry.
David
|
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
TELECOM Digest Sat, 26 Oct 91 01:25:33 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 852
Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson
Video Dial Tone: Bell TV? [Charlie Mingo]
Notice on GEnie About FCC Action [Michael Nolan]
Re: Prodigy's Latest Fiasco [Larry Appleman]
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...
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From: [email protected] (Larry Appleman)
Subject: Re: Prodigy's Latest Fiasco
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1991 18:41:12 GMT
Here is the text of Prodigy's press release responding to the recent
controversy about anti-Semitic messages:
"PRODIGY DID NOT PUBLISH OFFENSIVE MESSAGE CITED BY MEDIA;
AFFIRMS STANDARDS AND FREE EXPRESSION ON BULLETIN BOARDS
"NEW YORK, October 23 -- The Prodigy service, a personal computer
network, never published a virulent anti-Semitic note widely cited by
the news media as having appeared on its public bulletin boards, its
management said at a press conference in New York today.
"The offensive note was distributed to the media by the
Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith as an example of vitriolic
material it claims Prodigy allows its members to post for general
viewing. In fact, Prodigy has determined that the note was submitted
to the service for public posting 15 times in October 1990, and was
rejected each time.
"Prodigy said the Anti-Defamation League was misled into believing the
hate- mongering note appeared on its bulletin boards. Henry
Heilbrunn, senior vice president of Prodigy, said, 'The truth is we
didn't post it then and we wouldn't post it now.'
"Mr. Heilbrunn underscored Prodigy's commitment to free expression on
its electronic on-line service. 'The free and open nature of our
bulletin board system means that we will post notes on controversial
subjects to which some people may object at times. That is at the
essence of the lively and vital exchange of views which have come to
characterize interactive electronic media. But we will NOT post
notices containing language so scurrilous that it is grossly repugnant
to society's standards of decency. Obviously, the anti- Semitic
statements cited by the Wall Street Journal and others are grossly
repugnant, and that is why they did not appear on the Prodigy
service.'
"Prodigy President Ted Papes said, 'It is a difficult balancing act.
But we intend to offer this open forum to our members by following the
principles of freedom of expression while remaining true to our role
as a family service that reaches a very broad audience with diverse
viewpoints. We were particularly distressed by the implication that
Prodigy might condone anti-Semitism.'
"Prodigy said its guidelines for posting bulletin board notes have
broadly stated that it does not permit notes that are 'offensive.'
Mr. Papes said, 'While our policy has not changed, we now have
amplified these guidelines to define offensive as notes that are
grossly repugnant to community standards. This would encompass notes
that are blatant expressions of bigotry, racism and hate.'
"'Indeed,' said Mr. Papes, 'We condemn anti-Semitism and other forms
of bigotry. They are repugnant and we would never encourage them.
What we do encourage is the free exchange of ideas. To the extent
that a handful of the five million notes posted in the past year may
be thought of as intemperate, we think that the sunshine of free
expression is the best cure for the cancer of bigotry.'
"Bulletin board on the Prodigy service are public forums, where each
note can be accessed and read by other members interested in
particular subjects. Prodigy screens incoming bulletin board notes
electronically for specific vulgar words; it asks its members to
identify notes they feel violate the guidelines so they can be
reviewed; and it post-audits bulletin board notes for appropriateness.
Public bulletin board notes that violate guidelines, or are irrelevant
to the designated bulletin-board topic, are returned unedited to the
sender for modification and resubmission. Bulletin boards are not
related to private messaging, which is the one-to-one exchange of
correspondence between individual members. Prodigy does not see
private messages, which are the sole concern of the sender and
receiver.
"The Prodigy service enables families with personal computers to save
time and money on shopping, securities trading, banking and bill
paying; to find and book solid values in travel and leisure
activities; to select a broad range of information, education and
entertainment; to search an encyclopedia; to place and respond to
classified ads; and to exchange personal messages from their homes and
offices. Each household connects to these services through its
regular telephone line attached to a home computer with a simple,
inexpensive device called a modem."
Larry Appleman P.O. Box 214, Cambridge B, Mass. 02140
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End of TELECOM Digest V11 #852
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