Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Jason Cherniak: The Censorship Police

On October 15th, 2008, Jason Cherniak announced that he was ceasing blogging to move on to other pursuits. Fair enough. However, now Cherniak is misusing Liblogs with a permanent post at the top expounding his views on the Israel-Gaza situation, views which are clearly biased against the people of Gaza.

Now, I strongly disagree with Cherniak's views on Israel-Gaza, but he is free to express his position. What is not fair though, is that he is misusing Liblogs by first deleting one of my blog entries which was not to his satisfaction, and then posting his own skewed views at the top of Liblogs. He is clearly abusing his position as a Liblogs administrator. If Cherniak wants to express his views, he can re-start his blog and say what he wants there, just like the rest of us do on our own blogs.

While I'm not an overly partisan person, I do prefer the Liberal Party. The reason for this is that the Liberal Party is a broad tent, where diverse people can express diverse views. Historically, there has been no ideology police or censorship police in the Liberal Party. I believe this has been a key to the Party's success in the past. Unfortunately, this Liberal spirit is absent in Jason Cherniak.

The Top of the Liblogs aggregator is for general public announcements, it is not for censorship and it is not for imposing one's skewered point of view on a controversial issue.

UPDATE: Jason Cherniak has yet again played censorship police by removing one of my blog entries.

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21 comments:

  1. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't allow pictures of dead Israelis either. I'm one of those people who has refused to watch beheading videos.

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  2. So why don't you guys just start up your own liberal blog aggregator instead of letting Chernyuk dictate what is or isn't acceptable to post.

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  3. LeDaro: your re-post with the gaza images was up on liblogs and when I went back from your page to the splash page at liblog it was already gone.

    I have yet to read anything in your posts that seems anti-semitic and I don't understand why your posts are being targeted.

    I am surprised that those who question the Israeli GOVERNMENT'S actions are being accused of somehow being against Jews (whether in Canada or Israel).

    When we criticize the Harper government does that make us anti-Canadian? Certainly some con activists would argue that but I wouldn't think that Liberal activists wouldn't make such an argument.

    I am happy that the NDP (the party I support) has a balanced approach to this conflict;

    "The continuing airstrikes by Israel on civilians in the Gaza strip and the ongoing rocket attacks on Israeli civilians are serving to compound the existing civilian disaster and further harm chances for a negotiated peace."...

    "Indeed, the government must urge both sides to agree to end the current hostilities immediately, reinstate the ceasefire and return to the peace process."

    "New Democrats believe that Canada must pursue a balanced approach to the Middle East crisis, in keeping with Canadians' deep desire for peace ... a lasting peace in the region. This goal cannot be achieved while citizens in such large numbers are being killed and endangered."

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  4. LeDaro though I don't agree with the sentiment, we as Liblogs members have no institutionalized say on the appearance of Liblogs.

    You can complain, but Jason Cherniak is within his rights to alter the layout, post a permenant post or anything else concerning the appearance of Liblogs.

    To be clear I am against his Pro-Israel stance as I am against those with a Pro-Palestine or pro-hamas stance, but in regards to the first post that is up, Cherniak is within his rights.

    In regards to deleting your post however I think it is less clear and I don't know what the pictures were exactly of, but on the face of it I would agree with you that it was wrong for your post to have been deleted.

    I have mentioned on my blog an Liblog policy abuse by Jason in regards to using Liblog members emails to send unsolicited emails. It appears this crisis between Israel and Hamas has motivated Jason Cherniak, as well as others I'm sure, to do things they hopefully wouldn't do otherwise.

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  5. Jason Cherniak, you disgust me to no end. I thought you were a sensible person but I was dead wrong. You put your biased opinions right on the top of Liblogs but you want to censor me. I have seen many times more graphic pictures on Liblogs and you have not censored them. In future, maybe I’ll remind you.

    This clearly shows your bias against Palestinians and Jewish people who disagree with Israel’s actions (such as Jon Stewart and Senator Bernie Sanders in the United States, to name two examples).

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  6. One should not be allowed to use the word "censorship" without knowing what the word "censorship" means.

    Now THAT would be censorship I could live with.

    As for the aggregate, it seems to me that Cherniak ought to be able to do whatever the heck he wants to with his aggregate.

    Honestly, the sense of entitlement in the Western world in the 21st Century is absolutely stunning.

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  7. I couldn't agree with you more, it's ridiculous that one man's view would be posted at the the top for all to read, as if policy of libblogs. It's ridiculous. I might expect it at Blogging Tories, but not here.

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  8. Mr. White, Cherniak single-handedly is doing an extraordinary damage to Liberal Party. With friends like that who needs enemies.

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  9. Cicely, I did read Mr. Layton's statement. I was impressed. It was very even-handed. Now with Cherniak Liberal Party is going to take a lot of damage.

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  10. I think Cherniak should be allowed to do whatever he wants. However, the progressive agenda hopefully includes a free forum for all opinions within its ranks. If Cherniak wants to act more like an authoritarian and arbitrarily delete posts, that is his prerogative. Perhaps the Libs are no longer progressive in their views as Cherniak is demonstrating. If that's the case, there's always the NDP. I think it's to more closely examine our choices.

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  11. Let's be clear here folks. Jason did not delete LeDaro's post. His graphic images of death and violence are there for anyone to see on his blog.

    Also, Jason did not delete any opposing viewpoint. There are countless attacks and objections to Israel throughout Liblogs from some more moderate points to strong attacks to LeDaro's juvenile anti-Israel rants. None of them have been deleted from showing up on Liblogs.

    What has been done is some very graphic death-porn has been blocked from automatically showing up on the computer of anyone who visits Liblogs without their knowledge.

    LeDaro claims that he has seen "seen many times more graphic pictures on Liblogs" and has been asked several times for a single example but he has either refused to back up his point or, more likely, is unable to do so because it is not true.

    In short, LeDaro's graphic images are still on his blog so they have not been censored. LeDaro's graphic death images are not being forced onto Liblog viewers without their consent. No other post or image has been deleted from Liblogs no matter how anti-Israel.

    You are welcome.

    Carry on.

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  12. Teddy, you're full of it man.

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  13. Anonymous7:28 pm

    It's funny how Jason never had a problem before with images from LeDaro until it touched on the subject of Israelis.

    Now images are gone and so is Jason Cherniak' misuse of Liblogs (the sticky on top).

    Liblogs are successful in part because of LeDaro and other Liberal bloggers.

    Yes, what Jason did was censorship or if you prefer "editorialize" to fit his views and force feed his opinion down the gullet of Liberals. If Jason felt so strongly, he could have used his still active blog....
    Instead, he abused his "position".

    As for statements about the Gaza conflict, the NDP AND the BQ have been fair - the Liberals and Connies, not so much....

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  14. Actually, I have deleted pictures of dead Iraqis before and I believe it was from LeDaro. What has changed is that he has never complained before.

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  15. Jason Cherniak, you lie too. You're making up. Or you're a bigger dictator than I thought initially.

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  16. So Jason prevents a blogger for forcing unknowing Liblog viewers from seeing massacred bodies without their consent. Sooooo outrageous.

    LeDaro: still waiting for a single example of your "many more violent" photos that Liblogs has allowed to go through without deletion.

    I imagine I will have a very looooong wait for anything to back up your accusation. Typical.

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  17. Ted, first ask Cherniak to make archives of all the past aggregates unedited then I will be happy to provide you with examples. Unedited because he is capable of removing pictures from the aggregates which were never removed before. He is simply not trustworthy. In the meantime take a hike.

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  18. You see, LeDaro, this is why people like you - by which I mean people like you and not all anti-Israel commenters - have so little credibility.

    The situation in Israel and Palestine is super-hyper sensitive. Emotions run quickly to boil and there is already too often a lack of rational discussion about reasonable differences of opinion about appropriate solutions.

    But some are so charged up on this that they have to compare the situation to genocide, call for eradication of all Jews (or Juice as the now famous poster of an idiot protester put it), holocaust.

    And to this over-charged atmosphere, you decide to libel Cherniak with accusations of bias that have no basis in fact.

    I just don't get people like you. There is enough to argue about on this issue without people like you trying to divide Liberals over it with unsubstantiated accusations if not outright lies about the conduct of others.

    For freakin' shame. But at least you almost concede how shallow your accusation was.

    Take a hike? Gladly from this stinkpile of a propaganda machine.

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  19. "..you decide to libel Cherniak with accusations of bias that have no basis in fact". And what you, Cherniak and other sycophants have been doing. Whole day you have been libelling me and harassing me. You made totally unfounded and libellous statements. I am not sure where you are headed but you’re definitely putting both your feet in your mouth. You made a serious blunder to intimidate a wrong person by using legal lingo of libel. Libels, harassment and now you added intimidation to it. Shame on you.

    You must receive a medal in double talk.

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  20. Ted, good night and take care of your foot to mouth disease. One feels sorry for you.

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  21. I very much appreciate your postings, LeDaro.
    Its too bad about this Cherniak fellow. He will help keep many of us ABCers from voting Liberal next election.

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