Why We Removed CNBC Post
Since our founding, The Kelsey Group has been committed to delivering our unvarnished view of the dynamics of the ever changing and evolving local advertising market. We have been criticized by some in traditional media who suggested we have overstated the rise of the Internet. And we’ve taken shots from those pushing new media suggesting we are too sympathetic to traditional media. Being at the center of this rapidly changing interactive local media space is exhilarating and at times terrifying.
We remain committed to providing a forum through this blog for a spirited debate and exchange of ideas on local media. What we will not do, however, is offer a forum for personal attacks. Therefore, we made a decision this morning to remove our blog post from yesterday that pointed to a CNBC segment about the Yellow Pages. Please keep commenting on what you read here, and by all means be candid, contrary and controversial. If you wish to make a personal attack, however, find a different forum.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. You can easily manage inappropriate postings by different means such as editorial reviews before posting or let user vote whether posting is abusive or not. Your action here could fuel the critics that the yellowpages industgry is still in denial.
Thanks Tory. Your points are well taken. Our practice has always been to allow an open forum for comments and to remove comments that are inappropriate, such as commercial messages and personal attacks. We have always erred on the side of letting people to have their say. In this particular instance, we determined it was better simply to remove the post. We are taking a look at how we can do a better job of providing an open forum while maintaining a high standard of discourse. And by the way we really appreciate your regular comments. Please keep them coming.
It’s unfortunate you had to remove the post and the link to the video as professionals and others in the industry need to have access. The real personal attack was CNBC vs. Dave Swanson.
I agree that CNBC has been unfair to the industry and RHD. You can find the video clip easily enough at the CNBC website. Thanks for your comments.
I agree with Tory that you guys are going down the slippery slope of censorship. Most sites have simple rules like no: profanity, sexual or racist remarks, and blatent lie. Other than that, everything should be a go. Don’t worry about CEOs getting their feelings hurt. They are big boys and can take care of themselves and they should hear some straight talk. If you want this blog to have meaning, you must take the good, bad, and ugly.