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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!topaz!klinzhai!webber
From: webber@klinzhai.RUTGERS.EDU (Webber)
Newsgroups: news.stargate
Subject: Re: "try-out trials" (and some general opinions)
Message-ID: <181@brandx.klinzhai.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Mon, 20-Apr-87 04:38:25 EST
Article-I.D.: brandx.181
Posted: Mon Apr 20 04:38:25 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Apr-87 00:16:19 EST
References: <965@vortex.UUCP> <6582@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <2403@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <7041@orchid.UUCP>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 36
Summary: moderation is a loosing idea

In article <7041@orchid.UUCP>, imprint@orchid.UUCP writes:
> It has been suggested that a moderator choosing the "best"
> items, and listing the names of others who said the same
> thing would cause a dealy while the moderator waited for the
> definitive piece. 
> 
> Not so. A Usenent Moderator and an ordinary Editor in print
> communication are essentially the same thing. The newspaper
> editor still gets a paper out every day, even though he has
> given you only 40% of what he had avaialable.
>...

Sure newspaper editors get papers out.  But no newspaper maintains the
breadth of opinion that an unmoderated newsgroup does.  If you want a
decent range of opinion, you end up having to go to a library and scan
dozens of papers.  Newsgroup moderators are walking illustrations of
the problems of unchecked power.  In order to make them comparable to
newspaper editors there would have to be dozens of separate moderated
newsgroups on the same subject.  Sure there are some benevolent moderators,
but there are also those who go on vacation for a month leaving their
group in limbo, purposely delay messages to cut down on the flow of
traffic, choose to edit away controversal signatures, or even drop on
the floor copyrighted messages.  Of course moderators are human and
have their own problems of overwork and wanting to avoid legal
complications.  But this does not help the free flow of opinion.
(For that matter, according to my cat Galileo, history shows it
doesn't help the free flow of fact either.)

In many ways, usenet was a unique utopian experiment.  Twenty years
from now, you will only find it in the history books (check next to
the Oneida colony).  You will tell your children about a free network
where people all over the country/world discussed whatever they wanted to.
Once they get over the shock of the concept, they will ask you why it
was destroyed.  I have no idea what you will reply.

---------------- BOB (webber@aramis.rutgers.edu ; BACKBONE!topaz!webber)