Ask HN: Is HN Censoring Posts? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Is HN Censoring Posts?

#31

Post by mandmandam » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 2:46 PM UTC

pvg wrote: post #6

You can see some recent mod commentary on this. It's more or less how HN works and is supposed to work: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42777298 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775648 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775535 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775519

The richest plutocrat on Earth, now in charge of cutting government regulations, makes multiple emphatic Nazi salutes Day 1 at the inauguration...

Paul Graham: Censoring multiple rapidly popular posts of this is "how HN works and is supposed to work".

... Good to know.

Re: Ask HN: Is HN Censoring Posts?

#32

Post by nojvek » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 3:52 PM UTC

I use hn.algolia.com and flagging doesn't seem to have an effect. I still see top voted and commented stories.

HN works based on flagging. If a few users flag a story, it gets hidden. The algorithm errs on the side of being safe than sorry.

Re: Ask HN: Is HN Censoring Posts?

#33

Post by consumer451 » Thu, Jan 23, 2025, 6:29 AM UTC

pvg wrote: post #6

You can see some recent mod commentary on this. It's more or less how HN works and is supposed to work: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42777298 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775648 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775535 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775519

The interesting thing is that when the topic is "important," there are extreme measures taken by HN moderation.

These measures have previously included overriding user flagging of an arguably shady story, and more often pruning an entire branch of comments out of a post's comment thread.

What we have learned from this event is that HN moderation does not believe that the clear and obvious nazi salutes done by "the richest man in the world," behind the Presidential seal, is an important topic.

HN is a news org. This news event was a litmus test of news orgs. Only a few orgs passed for identifying "important" reality, and HN was not one of them.

I have been a fan of this website's moderation in the past, even when it went against my opinion. Now, I am sorry to say this, but I am truly disgusted.

Re: Ask HN: Is HN Censoring Posts?

#34

Post by tptacek » Thu, Jan 23, 2025, 7:08 AM UTC

mandmandam wrote: post #31

pvg wrote: post #6

You can see some recent mod commentary on this. It's more or less how HN works and is supposed to work: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42777298 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775648 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775535 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775519

The richest plutocrat on Earth, now in charge of cutting government regulations, makes multiple emphatic Nazi salutes Day 1 at the inauguration... Paul Graham: Censoring multiple rapidly popular posts of this is "how HN works and is supposed to work". ... Good to know.

That's not Paul Graham. Paul Graham hasn't been here for years.

Re: Ask HN: Is HN Censoring Posts?

#35

Post by mandmandam » Thu, Jan 23, 2025, 10:51 AM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #34

mandmandam wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The richest plutocrat on Earth, now in charge of cutting government regulations, makes multiple emphatic Nazi salutes Day 1 at the inauguration... Paul Graham: Censoring multiple rapidly popular posts of this is "how HN works and is supposed to work". ... Good to know.

That's not Paul Graham. Paul Graham hasn't been here for years.

That's a relief, thank you.

Re: Ask HN: Is HN Censoring Posts?

#36

Post by dttze » Thu, Jan 23, 2025, 9:10 PM UTC

pvg wrote: post #27

dttze wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, avoid all transparency and accountability around moderation and then reference vague and subjective terms to dismiss those who rightly complain.

What is the transparency and accountability that ought to happen here that hasn't, specifically?

Any moderation should show who did it. Flagging should show who flagged.

Seems like a simple and transparent way to show how unbiased and well run HN is.

Re: Ask HN: Is HN Censoring Posts?

#37

Post by kasey_junk » Thu, Jan 23, 2025, 10:45 PM UTC

dttze wrote: post #36

pvg wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the transparency and accountability that ought to happen here that hasn't, specifically?

Any moderation should show who did it. Flagging should show who flagged. Seems like a simple and transparent way to show how unbiased and well run HN is.

Flagging can be done by any user (above some karma threshold). This is well known and documented in the faq. A log of this would just make for more tiresome meta discussion. Which is also something the guidelines point out.

Re: Ask HN: Is HN Censoring Posts?

#38

Post by 77pt77 » Tue, Jan 28, 2025, 2:43 AM UTC

consumer451 wrote: post #33

pvg wrote: post #6

You can see some recent mod commentary on this. It's more or less how HN works and is supposed to work: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42777298 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775648 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775535 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42775519

The interesting thing is that when the topic is "important," there are extreme measures taken by HN moderation. These measures have previously included overriding user flagging of an arguably shady story, and more often pruning an entire branch of comments out of a post's comment thread. What we have learned from this event is that HN moderation does not believe that the clear and obvious nazi salutes done by "the ri…

It's obviously an excuse and not a real reason.

> I have been a fan of this website's moderation in the past

There's your mistake. I haven't for years.

When someone blatantly admitted to creating new accounts to reply to me and circumvent the throttling mechanism and the mods said that for that person it was OK I lost all trust in it.