I mean, really, why can't we just get along? In other cities the Old Media are acknowledging the local CitJ start-ups, right. Why does Gannett refuse to acknowledge my existence? Yeah, yeah, I'm an ex-employee. Thing is, I'm offering a service to the community, one that will (and has) helped them - the citizens. Anyway, I was banned from The Star Press Forums today. I know why they really did it, but they told me I was trolling, being disruptive and hijacking threads. Now, you have to know the back story (the community) at The Star Press forums. I've been with them since 1998 - some of them have been around that long with me. Old time members. There is a lot of lot of trolling there. Blatant trolling, even. They singled me out, though, and I became one of very few people who have had their accounts deleted.

I slipped back in and tried to respond to their accusations, but that account was deleted too. Before it was over, they had banned that IP from the forums (i.e. I couldn't even READ the forums anymore.) It only took a few minutes to get a new IP, but I didn't post anymore. Other members had, though, and for the most part they supported me and called out The Star Press for singling me out and only enforcing the rules on me.

It all started, I guess, a few days ago when a nice older lady currently in Orlando Florida started a thread calling out the paper for playing games with a political story. People were soon jumping on her from the Left and the Right, saying that it was her responsibility to find out about candidated, that the newspaper was just there to make money like any other business.

Well, I didn't like that. I didn't agree with that, so on this thread discussing the media, I started talking about Citizen Journalism (not linking to my site at all). I did link to the infamous Jon Stewart clip, though.

Anyway, I think I irked them mighty heavy today for some reason.

Eric Kinzie, my replacement (or one of them), posted that Gannett and The Star Press realized the importance of Citizen Journalism and that within a year or so they would implement 'CitJJo's' (their wording) on their website. So, I asked why my Citizen Journalism site wasn't newsworthy enough to be talked about. I mused whether Citizen Journalism wouldn't be newsworthy until they had their own version in place.

It's ridiculous. While there were spam posts with links to porn sites, shopping sites, etc. all over the place, while people in other topics were commiting libel left and right, I was singled out because I said there was an alternative, said I wanted to work *with* The Star Press (and Gannett) through this cool new transitionary period we're in.

I don't know. I've given it all a lot of thought today. They have a 'right' to bar me from their forums, I guess, but is that what journalists should be doing? I mean, really. Think about it. I'm not doing this for the money. I'm not going to steal their revenue over night. If other big media companies in other towns at least acknowledge their CitJ counterparts, why isn't it happening here?

Anwyay, I may be adding more thoughts about this here. I guess that I should be proud that they're scared enough of me and my operation to ban me like that.

More later...

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