The Falcons say they don’t practice censorship – really!
I’ve gotten several complaints from readers who claimed their critical posts were deleted from the message boards at AtlantaFalcons.com and they were then blocked from reading the boards. Here, from an AJC.com poster who goes by the screen name of Falcons Censor Critics/Crybabies!, is this:
“You know, Mark and Atlanta, I criticized Coach [Mike] Smith and the coaching staff as well as the entire team for the abysmal performance against the Patriots on their message board. It seems the FALCONS BRASS and ARTHUR BLANK don’t like criticism. I was banned from their site and not even allowed to read their message board as a result….NO CURSING just telling the brutal truth. If you are not a cheerleader , even in a terrible loss, they whine about the criticism.
“HEY, COACH SMITH AND ARTHUR BLANK, GROW UP!! If you can’t take criticism you’re in the wrong business. Watch out, Mark Bradley, King Arthur can’t stand criticism.”
In the interest of clarification, I called Reggie Roberts, the Falcons’ vice president of communications, and asked if the Falcons had gotten heavy-handed in the wake of their loss to New England. He checked and called back a half-hour later, saying this:
“We monitor and moderate our boards for language and content, and people have to accept certain conditions before they can post on our boards saying they won’t indulge in profanity or name-calling or baiting. We’re not in the business of banning criticism unless someone runs afoul of the rules to which he has already agreed.
“We had some instances this week of people impersonating other people and making personal attacks on other posters. But if someone wants to say [offensive coordinator] Mike Mularkey isn’t very good or to criticize [running back] Michael Turner, we won’t have a problem with that.”
I know Reggie’s words won’t satisfy some among you, but I should also say that we at AJC.com monitor and moderate our boards for language and content, and we do ban repeat offenders. I should also note that our policy for what’s acceptable might be considered more liberal than other message boards’.
But I should also note a rather basic human trait: Nobody likes to be criticized. Especially after a loss in the rain.
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279 comments Add your comment
caddieman
October 1st, 2009
1:28 pm
You should have checked this out before you blogs a bunch of crap about a message board. If you had any(footBALLS) come to the message board and sign up!…………Like that will ever happen!
eplayerj
October 1st, 2009
1:33 pm
SMDH…. Well Mark thank you for the Reunion of some of my famous and infamous Message Board buddies. I love going to the AFMB. I have meet alot of people I can actually say are good people and some that are not. With anything you will find that nothing is perfect. Getting back to your original topic, this is what happens when the Falcons lose a game. People speak Doom and Gloom. Be ready to have this discussion on the next loss.
Warbucks you are the man.
Rectal bleeding
October 1st, 2009
1:37 pm
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Someone thinks a WHOLE lot of themselves.
The TRUTH
October 1st, 2009
2:06 pm
Rectal – I love how he talks about the unjust evil message board while he is throwing insults at you. What a hypocrite!
Same Ole Same Ole
October 1st, 2009
2:15 pm
None of this is new. This article and Life Long Falcons Fan’s complaints have been around since the organization recruited fan volunteers to moderate the organization’s messageboard. It is the same complaints about the same people that have been pointing out for years. They should have paid staff members to run administer the boards or just shut them down all together.
Rectal bleeding
October 1st, 2009
2:18 pm
I’m not thin skinned….I’m about 15 pounds overweight!
J.Mike's Missives » Birdseed: October 1, 2009
October 1st, 2009
2:19 pm
[...] The Falcons say they don’t practice censorship – really!, Atlanta Journal-Constitution No comment. [...]
Life Long Falcon Fan
October 1st, 2009
2:25 pm
The TRUTH:
Insults? What insults? You have some person calling himself (or herself, I have no idea) “Rectal bleeding” who is making one logical fallacy after another and making false assumptions about people. I pointed out the logical fallacies and showed why he/she was wrong. So where was the insult?
Same Ole Same Ole:
I could not agree more about the need for paid staff members to administer the boards. Most of the problems stem directly from the use of regular members as moderators/administrators. Those members have assumed that they now enjoy some vaulted status as “super members” of the boards who are immune to criticisms from the “ordinary members”. Again, read the PM that I received from ShineyMcShine (in a previous post) where he states that any criticism of the moderating decisions is a COC violation that will get a member banned. That is predominately a problem with hyper-sensitive, thin-skinned fans who believe they are somehow above the other fans who visit the boards.
I have a hard time believing any of this represents the front-office of the Atlanta Falcons, and I can only assume that the Falcons would be embarrassed as an organization if they knew what was being done by the people who represent them on the AFMB.
Same Ole Same Ole
October 1st, 2009
2:37 pm
I read that the PM from shineymcshine. I bet it kills him to see reasonable complaints about the volunteer fan staff’s performance and not have a delete button under it.
Thanks for the blog Mark Bradley!
Big XII
October 1st, 2009
2:46 pm
This stuff may be true, it may not. Seems both sides have compelling arguments. What I can’t fathom is WHY this is worthy of a blog?
E43
October 1st, 2009
2:46 pm
VICK SUPPORTER you don’t even have an argument nor do u even understand my post one bit because first i never even pitched a solution. Then, i was referring to the falcons message-board i never said anything about Vick supporters being banned from AJC or the falcons site and the fact that this is not the Atlanta falcons website then your whole post earlier was pointless. oh and by the way i am a Vick the player supporter and im not on the Matt Ryan bandwagon, i am and have always been on the falcons bandwagon…till death. i don’t care whether or not you post stuff. Please be my guest, I don’t see how that was a threat.
Carlun
October 1st, 2009
2:47 pm
I was also kicked from Falcons life on AtlantaFalcons.com. I’ve e-mailed the moderators and no one has replied. I didn’t curse or say anything innappropriate, just being honest. I talked about how I didn’t think Ryan would get a fair shake by the fans in Atlanta due to the majority of fans being Vick lovers and African American….
Joe Wilson
October 1st, 2009
3:02 pm
YOU LIE!!
Michael Vick
October 1st, 2009
4:02 pm
*licks lips* well….ya know…i just do what i do, ya know…..ya know…its weird how…ya know…mods ban…um…*licks lips* people who like me…ya know. Ya know……every messageboard Superman goes to….. ya know…..the fans love Michael Vick ya know….*licks lips*
Let me give a shout out to my dawgs!
Also, Teandra and shaquandra, ya know….say hi to ya player…shawty! *licks lips*
Kanye West
October 1st, 2009
4:11 pm
Yo Mark, I’m happy about ya posting this blog and I’m gonna let you finish but the people under Stalin were the most censored of all time. OF ALL TIME!
Big XII
October 1st, 2009
4:20 pm
OK…The Kanye West joke is old…..Try something different.
Kanye West
October 1st, 2009
4:39 pm
Yo Big XII. I’m happy about you being a bitch and I’m gonna let you finish but Ben Stein is the most boring douchebag of all time. OF ALL TIME!
Same Ole Same Ole
October 1st, 2009
5:12 pm
” What I can’t fathom is WHY this is worthy of a blog? – Big XII ”
It was probably wrongly assumed that the Atlanta Falcons are more hands on with their messageboards and trying to control what fans say about them. Hence the question “Is Arthur Blank deleting peoples’ comments?” That would be worthy of a blog in a local paper, it is untrue though. The organization is innocent of what they are accused of, because its a few fan volunteers with questionable social competence who are the voice of the Falcons in this matter.
KingSheik
October 1st, 2009
7:19 pm
It’s a message board so I don’t expect any of the Falcons Higher Brass to actually care but SacFalcFan, Bakery Bird, Shiney & Rev Fail are the fattest failures of human beings on the planet earth. If any of you true Falcon fans want unbiased, uncensored conversation without topless pics of Knowshown Moreno or unfunny, lame jokes about wearing no pants (pause) & deep throating corndogs, well hold on to your toupees & come over to OGBarbershop.com. Tootles!!
KingSheik
October 1st, 2009
7:21 pm
Oh & Mark Bradley, you are welcome to sign up.. We will role out the red carpet for you..
KingSheik
October 1st, 2009
7:22 pm
& yes I just spelled roll, role because they are just words & they do not control us!
Life Long Falcon Fan
October 1st, 2009
7:51 pm
Hey Sheik, that’s just how you role, baby.
bigbaloo64
October 1st, 2009
7:53 pm
“You do realize you are talking about an internet message board….Something you don’t have to pay to join….Something you only need to follow a few rules to remain active…..Something that if you can no longer have access to is NOT the end of the world…..”
The problem is that the rules do not apply equally to all posters, and are capriciously enforced. There is a cadre of insider posters who can basically do no wrong. As an ultra-right wing Conservative, I was one of them for a time, until I protested the grossly unfair treatment of some of the liberal posters. I value my integrity and honour more than I do being in a clique with narrow-minded people who abuse what little power and privilege they have. There was also a correlation with:
1) my open opposition to the Bush administration’s policies that violate the Constitution— such as violations of the separation of church and state, the violations of basic civil rights in regards to detainment and torture of prisoners, data mining, etc., etc.
and
2) my fall from favor with the moderators.
The trio of my political opposition to the Bush administration’s criminal activity and infusion of religion into state politics, my scorn for the horrible drafting and personnel decisions by Rich McKay, and my criticism of the moderator’s treatment of those not in their favor dovetailed into my permanent banishment.
adl
October 1st, 2009
8:05 pm
Great Job picking this guy out to be a moderator of your website Mr Blank!
From his profile on your board:
” Shiney_McShine Staring at the rings around Uranus ”
Nothing says classy organization more than that.
Maine
October 1st, 2009
8:38 pm
no surprise there
Tigger
October 1st, 2009
8:40 pm
I have been a fan of the Falcons for some 30 years now. For the most part it’s been 30 tough years especially when you’re not from Atlanta but from another country where most fans root for the Steelers, Cowboys or Pats. I have been ridiculed and teased to no end for faithfully rooting for the Falcons. I was also a long term member of the board until one day, a few years back, I was banned. For what reason? I wish I knew. I sent e-mails asking why, but there was no response. Someone told me it was for the simple reason I was member on another board made up of banned members.
I’m still a Falcon fan and will always be one. I always accepted being given a rough time when I hung out with my Steelers, Cowboys and Pats friends to watch football on Sunday; I never expected to be given the same treatment inside the Falcon family.
KingSheik
October 1st, 2009
9:17 pm
Tigger, Carlun & Life Long Falcon Fan, I have the solution my good men/women http://www.OGBarbershop.com
as usual the creative minds at the OGBarbershop.com do not think the dumb, uncreative, profane aliases that are just sour grapes on here & some other forums are funny at all.
We chose a different route, if you can’t join them, beat them, beat the life out of them & that is what we did at OGBarbershop.com
Reasonable Request
October 1st, 2009
9:30 pm
Life Long Falcon Fan … It’s obvious that you have some concerns – but posting it on this blog is not going to get you any resolution. Do you honestly think that the powers that be are reading the drivel on this blog? Have you seriously read some of the content and pure idiocy that’s in these comments?
If you truly are unhappy with the content allowed or the way that you personally have been responded to – this is not the forum for it. You should address the Moderator first. If you do not get a responsible reply, then you should send it to the communications department at the Falcons. If you still don’t receive any response – then you should seriously consider writing to the VP, Rich McKay or find out who is the responsible party in the Organization that can help you.
There is always the possibility that they shut down the boards as they have done on many web sites now. Detroit is simply one of them, but there are only a handful of official sites now that have a message board. Most are now independently run or run at one of the Networks or other sports web sites.
There is also the possibility that they look into your concerns and actually address them. All the effort and painstaking blogs you’ve entered here – they will really end up being lost in all the garbage that’s posted here.
Ashamed
October 1st, 2009
9:42 pm
Wasn’t it Staybridge Suites that got swindled by the Atlanta Falcons Message Board Get Together group last year? They were ridiculously obnoxious to hotel employees and then complained that they wanted refunds because a security gaurd eventually got tired of their act…much like they did to the hotel that they gathered at the year before. They bragged about it on their board. Even “JStammer”, one of their Administrators boasted about it. Shameful. Almost as shameful as the people posting on here about what wonderful jobs the Admins do just for “markers” down the road.
I am a longtime, never banned member and don’t want to be so I will not use my screen name.
Guess who
October 1st, 2009
9:51 pm
What a surprise. They deleted the topic that linked to this article.
adl
October 1st, 2009
10:01 pm
Reasonable Request,
The messageboard moderators that the Atlanta Falcons have are what all the legitimate complaints here are about. The Atlanta Falcons should just shut the place down. The site only costs them money and they are getting what they pay for with the free help fan volunteer moderators.
Rectal bleeding
October 1st, 2009
10:14 pm
@ ADL
Using your logic, to shut the forums down, there is no reason for you to visit and or participate in the Falcons forums, so why do you care?
Life Long Falcon Fan
October 1st, 2009
11:49 pm
adl:
It’s been awhile since we spoke and I hope all is well. I’m not sure shutting it down is necessary, but at this point it would be better than to continue allowing the current roster of volunteer fan moderators to run the place like it is their own personal forum. Instead of wasting money on the constant unnecessary “upgrades” to the boards, the Falcons would be better served by getting rid of the volunteer fan moderators and having a paid staff of moderators or simply outsourcing that to a company experienced in running message boards. But I won’t let perfection be the enemy of progress. There are lots of alternatives (three alternative boards by my count) that could provide Falcons fans with a choice of forums for talking about their team.
The AFMB is not the only place where fans can talk with other fans about the Atlanta Falcons, so shutting down the boards would not limit the option of forums available to current AFMB members.
cdog
October 2nd, 2009
12:08 am
DURING THE WEEK, GET LAWRENCE SIDBURY READY AND BRING IN A GOOD VETERAN DEFENSIVE TACKLE, WORK ON MICHAEL TURNER SQUARING HIS SHOULDERS AND GETTING UP FIELD AND GET HIM OUT OF RUNNING EAST AND WEST SO MUCH AS WELL AS HIM HOLDING ON TO THE FOOTBALL AND FINALLY WORK THE STEW OUT OF THAT DEFENSIVE LINE AS A WHOLE SO THEY CAN DOMINATE THE GAME WITH RUN STOPPING AND CONSTANT PRESSURE
adl
October 2nd, 2009
1:20 am
@ rectal bleedling
I havent posted at that site in years. I grew up a falcons fan so I care because I am a fan of the team and I attend a few games a year. I hate that any money I pay towards a ticket may go to support their website. A website which they outsource to other fans with political and personal agendas they can carry out under the name of the team. I would rather there be no messageboard than the one that has been offered to fans the past few years. Its a bad business decision for them to host it if they arent going to hire folks with marketing degrees to manage it.
Vick Supporter
October 2nd, 2009
3:45 am
Well, well, well…………Looks like the Falcons aren’t throwing the deep ball. After getting his money, Roddy’s YPC has dropped under 7 yards (just like I predicted). The article also says that the “timing” is off. I’ve already explained why this is so….Ryan holds the ball too long on his deep passes…which disrupts the timing….and that’s IF the ball can get there. It’s going to be a long season for the Falcons if they can’t stretch the field. Like i said before…when Roddy gets his money, things would be different.
Dec 6th…”The Day of Rekoning”
Same Ole Same Ole
October 2nd, 2009
10:24 am
rectal_bleeding = atlanta falcons message board moderator
"Mr. Falcon"
October 2nd, 2009
10:53 am
Mike Smith needs to buy a dog!!!!
JT
October 2nd, 2009
11:20 am
DEAR FALCON SORRY,
DUDE, PEARL HARBOR IS ON DECEMBER 7 NOT DECEMBER 6. WOW, YOU HAD ME AT HELLO.
Question?
October 2nd, 2009
12:08 pm
Wondering what happened to my post? Anti-Semitic comments were made on the AFMB and the member that made them is still allowed to post to this day. I thought that was a fair question, since the Atlanta Falcons’ official response to the charge of censorship is that they are enforcing a code of conduct.
Mark, can you let me know what the problem was with pointing that out?
Question?
October 2nd, 2009
12:50 pm
Yes, LLFF, that’s the one.
Voice of Reason
October 2nd, 2009
7:07 pm
Life Long Falcon Fan,
Thanks for shedding light on some very serious problems with the AFMB. It is sad to think that people would have views so repugnant , let alone the Falcons would allow people like that a forum to express them.
Meg Griffin
October 2nd, 2009
8:41 pm
LOL at you people still posting about this thinking you are being treated unfairly on a message board…..Classic!
Thanks Mark Bradley
October 3rd, 2009
10:48 am
Thanks Mark for shedding light on activities on the official website of the Atlanta Falcons. Hate speech against the President or against women, gays etc. should not be tolerated. If the Falcons allow this, I assume they condone it .Therefore, I will not be attending any further Falcons games until these problems are resolved .
shout out
October 3rd, 2009
5:43 pm
I wanna give a shout out to my friends at Roadrunner and Blue Box, Butch and Brent…
What’s up?
snake
October 3rd, 2009
7:53 pm
Enter your comments here
snake
October 3rd, 2009
7:54 pm
impugn impugn impugn impugn impugn!!
No love for the little man? What?
Shay
October 3rd, 2009
7:55 pm
Anybody hiring?
Anybody?
Iowa, oh Iowa, why did thou forsake me?Any luck with the ladies? No?
sacocrapfalcfan
October 3rd, 2009
8:00 pm
whew, I just ran ten miles…okay, ten feet and man am i tired.Anybody got a hotdog? oh wait, I have three in my pocket.lawd I gotta frost!!!
Mr. Frosty
October 3rd, 2009
8:08 pm
Is there a weight limit to be a falcons mod? And I don’t mean a high limit, I mean lower limit. Because everyone I have seen a pic of has been pushing the scale in into the ” blubber” range on the fat-o- meter. Do they have a sign outside the HQ that says ” you must be this fat to mod” with a picture of Butterbean swallowing Oprah swallowing a sumo champion?
I say this in love. I would hate for all of them to get sick with a bacon strip clogging an artery. Who would then post the witty corn dog,no pants and frosted hair threads? Who?