Is there any point in posting on the Express' website?

The Macclesfield Express' opaque and inconsistent moderation policies make a mockery of their claim to be "your" paper!

Their approach includes:

Notpublishing posts that they disagree with
Not giving reasons for  any decisons
Allowing and it seems encouraging bullying and thuggish behaviour
Censoring  individuals
Refusing to respond to criticism of their approach
Refusing to publish quoted from otherpapers
Refusing to publish quotes from the Press Assiciation etc


and so on and so on.

Now, apart for the incompetence of their web team (they are doing a great job of alienating people in Macclesfield by their actions and approach), this does raise questions about their claim to be a paper serving the locality, rather than just themselves and their abuse of power in the area.

So, anyone putting up a post on the Express' site is welcome to publish the same here; that way, even if the Express won't publish it, it will see the light of day.

Also, we will see just what it is that  the Epxress is censoring.

The usual rules apply: no obscenities, gratuitous insults. libels etc.

Deliberate or just incompetent?

The good folk who manage the Express' website seem to be up to their old tricks. There have been complaints in various places and from various people about censorship by them, i.e posts not getting published on the site, particularly when they may vary from the Express' party line.
Some complaints about censorship were, surprisingly, actually posted on the site; I suppose that this was the Express' way of trying to show how open they are, but many of us know differently.
So, I tried to post at least 5 comments in the last couple of days and, guess what, none of them have appeared.
Now, if they were rude, insulting or in any way breached the Express' and MEN's guidelines, then I would have not have been surprised but, guess what, they didn't!
But, they continue to allow posts which breach their own guidelines on a regular basis.
Just look at the posts from "Junior" to get an idea of what the Express, Lee Swettenham and his team think is acceptable and  you'll get the idea.

Local paper? Yeah, right!

So, is Mr Swettenham (and the team he runs) deliberately blocking posts from some people, or are they just incompetent? Perhaps they will let us know.

We will publish their reply here.

Just what is going wrong with the online comments section?

After complaints about biased management and moderating of their online website's comments section, with accusations that the MEN web team could be seen to foster a climate of bullying and thuggishness, things seem to be getting worse there.
Not only are they censoring, by refusing to post comments from some  readers, but now, when people try to log in they get this message:

"Sorry, logins have been temporarily disabled"

How intriguing!

Rather makes a mockery of their claim to be "your favourite newspaper"

Update: Well, well, well, the Express has started publishing my posts again and has restored log-ins for all. 
It will be interesting to see if they take action on the bullies, sock puppets and thugs as well  from now on

Does the Express support bullying & have a right wing agenda?

This is from what I have today submitted to the web site editor:

"You have allowed this very personal abuse from this obvious sock puppet yet have not published my reply, why not?

This is not the first time that this has happened.

You constantly allow personal abuse from a small group of one or two people under various sock puppet names yet censor when people try to respond.

It looks as though you are supporting these abusers want to stop others from posting. In effect you are supporting and encouraging a small group of bullies whose purpose seems to be to shut down alternative points of view and who seem to want to stop some of us from expressing our views at all.

The culture of bullying from a few that you seem to support inhibits many people from posting or expressing their view. It takes quite a thick skin to post here anything that is not either rabidly right wing or just plain thuggish. I am finding it quite an unpleasant experience, especially as you seem to support the thugs and bullies.

In effect you are suppressing the views of a substantial proportion of the people in Macclesfield and your distribution area - it increasingly seems that you only want to appeal to and serve a specific sector and not the people of the area as a whole.

................................................. the way that you are managing  the comments on the site, your support for (or, at least inaction over) bullies and sock puppets and what looks like bias"

Welcome

Welcome.
This blog is for comments about the slow motion car crash that is the Macclesfield Express.
This paper seems to be doing everything it can to hasten its own demise; it has long since given up any pretence of being a local newspaper, in touch with its readers and often, it seems, sets out to antagonise sections of the local population.
Due to its  inconsistent and arbitrary censorship on its online  comments section, locals with valid points of view often find themselves unable to comment on local  or reported issues.
Recently, for example, they  have shut down comments on the case of the local policeman charged with drink driving.
So, as they won't let people comment on their site, and as they are reported to cut, alter or simply ignore letters sent to the Editor, here as a place where people can comment on the paper, articles in it, the way that it is run and any other issue connected with it.
As ever, keep it legal, decent, honest and truthful. We will only cut abuse (ad hominem or libellous attacks etc), obscenity or similar. Differing views are welcome.