Biased Censorship Continues at Publib

[David Burt]

In the latest example of the biased censorship being practiced by Publib's moderators, Karen Schneider and Sara Weissman, the "Dr. Laura" thread was killed, but anti-Dr. Laura posts are still being posted, while pro-Dr. Laura posts are not:

On Wed, 5 May 1999 06:43:55, Karen Schneider announced she was closing the thread:
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/PubLib/archive/9905/0063.html

After that, several Dr. Laura-related posts of mine were turned back (Including the one earlier sent to this list). Yet this post mocking Dr. Laura was allowed:
Wed, 5 May 1999 20:53:40
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/PubLib/archive/9905/0079.html


This follows Sara Weissman's censoring of part of my post that quoted from the "Go Ask Alice" Site.  I asked Sara about this in this message:

To Sara Weissman, PUBLIB moderator:

Why did you censor part of my post?
I find it ironic in the extreme that when the topic is whether certain ALA approved content is appropriate for 12-year-olds, you don't find it appropriate for grown-up librarians.  Doesn't that say something?

If you don't think:

"Sex doggie-style = pain"
"What's rimming?"
"Girlfriend gags during oral sex"
"Anal sex - Sloppy bottom?"
"Anal sex and waste products"
"What's fisting?"
"Foot fetish?"
"More on sex with animals: Bestiality and STDs?"
"Husband crossdresses"
"Cleaning cat 'o nine tails'"
"S/M roleplaying"

is inappropriate for librarians, how can you defend it for 12-year-olds?
 _________________________________________

Sara replied by suggesting I must have some sort of prurient interest:

-----Original Message-----
From:	Sara Weissman/Morris Cty Library [SMTP:WEISSMAN at main.morris.org]
Sent:	Tuesday, May 04, 1999 6:15 AM
To:	dburt at afo.net
Subject:	RE: Censorship

David, please see the rest of the postings, especially the
Show of Hands. We surveyed the membership on how they want to proceed
with this discussion. I must say, it strikes me, personally, that
you and Michelle must really *like* this material if you feel a need
to repeat it so much and at such length...that, at least, is the 
impression you give. 

-------------------------------------------------------------

This continues a pattern of bias in Karen Schneider's moderation of PUBLIB:

1) All the threads killed by Karen to date have involved librarians defending protecting children from pornography, while she has let other threads continue for months.

2) After Karen took over as moderator in March, 1997, she allowed Bill Hale to engage in a series of personal attacks against Ken Dowlin that lasted for months, despite many pleas by librarians to end the months-long Dowlin thread.  This is particularly disturbing when one considers that Dowlin was running for ALA president against Ann Symons at the time, and Karen was a Symons supporter and a vocal critic of Dowlin.

PUBLIB is too important a resource to be used in this way.  PUBLIB either needs no moderation or impartial moderation, but it should not be the vehicle for the moderator's own political bias.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David Burt, President
Filtering Facts
www.filteringfacts.org
phone/fax 503 635-7048
210 S State Street, Suite 7
Lake Oswego, OR 97034