Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!hadron!inco!mack From: mack@inco.UUCP (Dave Mack) Newsgroups: news.admin Subject: Re: Defending Eric Mading Message-ID: <467@inco.UUCP> Date: Wed, 18-Nov-87 10:53:46 EST Article-I.D.: inco.467 Posted: Wed Nov 18 10:53:46 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 21-Nov-87 09:39:56 EST References: <1043@pbhyd.UUCP> <25092COK@PSUVMA> <6851@ut-ngp.UUCP> <1377@pinney.munsell.UUCP> Organization: McDonnell Douglas-INCO, McLean, VA Lines: 40 Summary: Is a news administrator supposed to be a censor? In article <1377@pinney.munsell.UUCP>, pac@munsell.UUCP (Paul Czarnecki) writes: [...] > As a news administrator I feel personally responsible (not legally > responsible) for all articles that leave this site. I don't agree > with all of them, and I wouldn't have posted some of them, but I want > all of them to be "good"* articles. I have never had to cancel an > article and I hope never to do so. As a news administrator I take no responsibility whatsoever for what users at my site post. It isn't my job to decide what constitutes a "good" article, to act as a censor or an English teacher. The users here are adults, not children. If they want to make fools of themselves, that's their privilege. The only requirement I place on the users is that every posting contain a disclaimer of responsibility to avoid legal hassles for the company. (I know, the thickness of the ice here is variable.) > If all news administrators did this, then "Dinette Set for Sale in NJ" > articles would disappear. And FASCIST would be unnecessary in the news software. Do you really think that all news admins are fair and unbiased enough to make this desirable? It would be nice to prevent idiotic distributions in misc.forsale, but not at the cost of eliminating opinions that the news admin disagrees with. I don't know about your users, but mine really don't expect the Spanish Inquisition. -- Dave Mack The Lord of the Files McDonnell Douglas-Inco, Inc. DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed 8201 Greensboro Drive are my own and in no way reflect the McLean, VA 22102 views of McDonnell Douglas or its (703)883-3911 subsidiaries. {uunet | sundc | rlgvax | netxcom | decuac}!hadron!inco!mack 8============================================================================)