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SPECIAL COMMENT: Wanted! VT Readers Needed to Insure Integrity of VeteransToday.com
A Cyber Town Hall Discussion on VT Integrity, Racism, and Pro-USA Values from the General Manager of Veterans Today
by John P. Allen, VT General Manager
Calling all VT Readers! We need your help!
Recently it has come to our attention that an article on our site violated our Terms of Service for being blatantly racist.
To protect the integrity of VT and it’s readers, please note that this article has been suspended from public view and has been sent to our Editorial Board of Directors for a complete review along with the work of the author.
On behalf of our Editorial Board of Directors and management, please know that we do all we can to insure that all of our content stands by the simple idea that we stand for peace, justice, equality, and truth.
Clearly, any violation of this standard would be a knock on our collective integrity. To protect the great work by VT columnists and to insure that you, the reader, get the very best, we must re-issue and re-enforce our values and ask for your help to make sure we stay vigilant and committed to success.
Now with over 17,000 articles posted by over 100 columnists with over 100,000 comments posted by readers, it’s NOT always possible to be perfect and catch all things. I mean, yes we have full access editors and filters but every once in a while something passes through that should NOT. So we need your assistance….
If you see any article or comment that is clearly racist, please report it immediately. We are always listening. We have set up a special email address for reporting such violations. So send to editorialboard@veteranstoday.com
To make it very clear;
VT Stands for Justice, Equality, Truth, and the USA!
VT does NOT stand for RACISM including but NOT limited to Racism by color, ethnicity, cultural identity, sexual identity, or creed
In other words, we support assertive opinions and exposing the truths about the issues but we do NOT support any attack that violates our important and very serious values stated above. Your continued support for our Pro-USA values is greatly appreciated, respected, protected and honored, always!
If you have any questions or comments on this, please feel free to chime in and post your comment.
I will be responding comments as they warrant.
ARTICLE UPDATE: On June 3, 2011, the Editorial Board reviewed the article in question entitled “Behind the Holocaust“ and has deemed it appropriate for posting with a clear disclaimer and explanation of the review posted at the very top of the article.
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=110115
Posted by Veterans Today on Jun 1 2011, With 0 Reads, Filed under Of Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
COMMENTS
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Thank you for this. I’ve expressed my concerns before and there is a conflict between fierce advocacy of freedom of speech and expression versus the need to try to build and maintain a civil, respectful and honest society. This goes a long way in easing my concerns and you have my complete support
I agree. People do tend to lump all jews in with the Zionist controllers. It’s like comparing all Germans to Hitler and all Americans to Cheney. However, if VT is going to start censoring all criticism of the Isreal/Zionist agenda, this site is finished. We might as well all start worshipping Alex Jones.
Ouch, that’s a suckee thought – this is my favorite sanctuary for real journalism – and, a much needed antidote to the heavy dose of manufactured “news” we’re bombarded with daily. It heals the soul to read intelligent uncensored user comments that are on a public site like VT. I visit CNN to monitor the spin, and if I were to judge a country by the user comments over there, we’re fox’d.
User comments are the very essential ingredient that helps to make V.T works soo well!!…..this is healthy venting if you will for the reader, that other wise would not have it, and lose interest … and this is very important feedback to the writers and editors… new leads and ideas for storys that mean something to the readers ……important stuff is happening here at V.T. in the wake of a dying global meadia V.T is a Flag Ship of “Justice, Equality, Truth, and the USA!” not just the U.S.A the world is watching you V.T and they will expect follow through on everything. V.T is a becon for the immediate future of “Truth Seeking Readers”
VT remains absolutely committed to exposing the truth and going after political leaderships and movements that do harm to the best interests of the USA. Thus political critic is absolutely needed and will remain a cornerstone of VT. In short, there will be absolutely NO censoring of critic whatsoever. That would be un-American!
Bravo John P Bravo
This is a true asset in a sea of liability
Are you channeling Janet Napolitano?
Instead of “If You See Something, Say Something™” (yes, it’s trademarked!) it’s “If You See Something, Email Something.”
The parallel is chilling. And, no, I’m not over-reacting.
One article slipped through, people complained, without being solicited to do so, and the article was promptly pulled. And because of that one article, you went all Chicken Little on us.
Sheesh!
Foo, we have over 17,000 articles posted. Removing one very blatant and clear racist post ought NOT trigger an indictment and cause VT readers concern. We simply must draw a line and state that blatant racism has no place on VT. That’s all…..nothing more.
We’re really just a conglomeration of committed people joining together to build a collective voice for justice and equality. We just need our readers to be part of it and contribute to the intelligent discourse…that’s all. Saying we do NOT accept racism ought not be cause for concern as civility must be protected and cherished if we are going to actually discuss and debate the issues effectively.
Did you even read my posting?
My objection was NOT to your pulling the article. You have the right to set standards for articles, to accept them, to reject them, to pull them after you’ve published them.
My objection was to this:
“If you see any article or comment that is clearly racist, please report it immediately…We have set up a special email address for reporting such violations…”
Why would you do this? The very fact that one or more persons complained, without being solicited to do so, means that the old policy of trusting people to complain, without any solicitation, was already working.
One article. Just one article. Just one flippin’ article. Just one flippin’ article, that stayed up for how long? A few hours, perhaps a day, before it was pulled because of unsolicited complaints. Had your new policy, complete with your new email address, already been in place, would it have made any difference?
I don’t like being told to snitch. I don’t like your authoritarian attitude. Your very use of the term “violation” speaks volumes.
That’s what I meant about your channeling Janet Napolitano.
Foo, thx for your clarification.
To answer your “why would we do this?” is because we are NOT a huge media corporate entity with resources to hire people to do all kinds of jobs. Basically, it’s me and few others who monitor the site. And most of us have day jobs. So we just need a bit of support to help keep the site good to go, that’s all. Believe me if we had the resources to hire people to do this, I suppose we would but then again, would we, could we be so independent? I doubt it …so help me out a bit would ya? Hey, chill brother, I am NOT homeland security. Heck, I live on a dirt road with chickens for gosh sake ….really, no kidding! Don’t make me send you pictures!
Foo this is a matter of asset ‘v’ liability…
bad storys such as that are bad liabilitys as well…
an asset will enhance V.T therefore enhanceing your readership as well….
copy copy that good bud
Who wrote it?
Hareli, the issue is under review and therefore we ought not release that info. That would be wrong. Moreover, release of this info would NOT add material value to the this cyber town hall meeting.
Being Jewish doesn’t automatically make a person think that Israel can do no wrong.
Being American doesn’t automatically make someone devoid of ethnic or religious bias.
The problem is the extremists on both ends of the ideological spectrum who have forgotten the meaning of tolerance and diversity.
We agree. We have columnists on VT who are practicing Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and many other religions as well. We protect the diversity. I think it makes us stronger.
Part of the problem is this: the Zionists ARE so bad that it’s hard to speak honestly about them and not sound uncharitable, it takes some effort…I try, I really do…Thank God for VT…I like this site..
Bill, political movements are fair game on VT. Our writers investigate and dissect these movements to report the truth and tear them away from their masks. Political movements get no innate protection from critic on VT.
Are you kidding?!?
A large portion of VT’s content is slanted, racist, or anti-something. That’s why I usually delete these emails from my inbox. What I first thought was a unique perspective seems to have surrendered to the need for financial support from advertisers, regardless of the source….
You have lost my interest….and ruined what could have been a great source of information.
Ray, wow…”surrendered to advertisers”? Wow!
Forgive me for being very direct on this one but advertisers shy away from us precisely because we are open and willing to report truths that main stream anti-septic corporate news outfits won’t touch. Advertisers are generally in fear of our content.
Case in point. A prospective advertiser said they want to reach Veterans. OK, cool! In this case, it was a major financial institution. They were gun-ho. But something somewhere went terribly wrong and when asked what is going on and why they are no longer interested in reaching US Veterans, they sent a polite response back…
“The decision to not advertise does not stem from a specific political position on the Middle East, 911, or any other situation or war, it comes from our company philosophy of XXXXXX not being associated with this kind of content.”
I am NOT sure I even want to ask what they mean by “this kind of content”
What? Content that interests Veterans? What because our readership wants truth instead that anti-septic non-sense fed to them by the corridors of power? Do I really need to ask them? Really?
So help me out here……if you’re looking for drivel and stuff advertisers love, go to Military.com. They play with the big boys. We don’t and so we don’t rake in the bucks which leaves me living on dirt road with chickens, proudly may I add!
Well this is interesting. Foo has made some good comments. It’s too bad VT can’t find some college students who want to enhance their resume by monitoring the website for overtly racist comments.
Those of us who read VT articles on a continual basis know the majority of racist comments are about Jewish people. I often criticize the actions of Jewish Zionists and Israelis but I’m against racist comments about Jewish people or any other people.
When I saw this post I thought oh my some Jewish Zionists have infiltrated VT and this is the beginning of removing criticism about Jewish Zionists and Israel but I don’t think that is the case.
I don’t know what the racists article was about but if it was about Jews one could initiate a conspiracy theory that it was a false flag event to initiate monitoring and removal of anti-Jewish comments but I doubt that is the case.
I often mention at VT that the Mossad did 911 and obviously that is not a racist comment. Some people say the Jews did 911 which to me is very unfair and simply wrong and a racist comment but not vulgar. It will be interesting to see what happens to such as comment at Veterans Today.
Brian….we agree with you.
We are against racist comments about “jewish people”. Heck, we have VT columnists like Stephen Lendman or Eileen Fleming, both practicing in their faith of Judiasm. Doesn’t that say something?
We don’t see Zionism as a “jewish” thing…. Of course, many do but we feel that Zionism is a political movement and NOT religious. They use Judiasm to further the power aspirations.
Think about it….NOT all Zionists are Jews and NOT all Jews are Zionists so we really need to make that clear and draw that distinction if we are going to have an intelligent discourse.
So Zionism is completely fair game at VT! So expect VT to stay on this issues with AIPAC and their massive influence controlling the lives of everyday Veterans and everyday Americans. On VT, expect us to stand up for the USA not some other country / political entity that does not share our values here at home.
John, you’re missing something. Let me cite a specific example:
—–
Anti-Israel activity may not necessarily be anti-Semitism. Nevertheless, when a country like Israel is bombarded for years by terrorists launching thousands of rockets targeting Israel’s civilians and then it does what any responsible government would do–act to protect its citizens–only then to be accused by the international community of war crimes for doing so, that’s obscene. And you know what, that’s anti-Semitism.
Remarks by Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director
(as prepared)
ADL Man of Achievement Award Dinner
Honoring Indiana Governor Mitchell E. Daniels
Indianapolis, November 23, 2009
—–
Poor, put-upon Israel, right? boo-hoo-hoo
Foxman is far from being alone in this attitude. And, by that “expanded” definition of anti-Semitism, i. e., racism, VT posts racist articles on pretty much a daily basis. I could cite multiple sources that state that even identifying bankers, NeoCons and swindlers like Bernie Madoff as being Jews is anti-Semitism.
What I’m getting at is that the definition of racism is not universal. If I quote — let alone take offense at — Sharon’s famous “We, the Jewish people, run America..” statement, some would call that anti-Semitism.
It doesn’t matter how carefully you tread, if VT criticizes the actions of Israel or of any Jew, VT will be called racist.
In fact, this comment will be called racist. Too bad.
Hint for VT staff. If something offends, all readers are free to NOT read it. Spare us the STASI informant recruiting campaign. Delete any grossly inappropriate comments, or something totally off-topic. You can handle it. We have faith in you.
Excellent blog, enjoyable to read.. thank you