How much work does it take to keep everything so sanitized? To help me find out, my colleague Jeremy Singer-Vine wrote a program to capture comments to Palin's page before the clean-up crew could arrive. (Here's an explanation of how Jeremy's program works.) All these posts were initially public, if only for a few minutes. We looked at the comments to 10 Palin posts over 12 days, capturing the deletions in the 24 hours after the posts were live. In that period, a rough average of 10 percent of total posts were deleted.
The deletions amount to a real-time look at how much effort and care Palin puts into protecting her public image. It's not just the number of posts that are screened out that gives some indication of how seriously Palin's team is monitoring things. The superfine mesh through which posts are sifted also gives an indication of the work involved. You don't get erased just for using vulgarity or pushing spam (which Facebook might remove anyway if flagged). The kinds of posts that are likely to get you removed from the Palin comments section can be divided into categories (the comments have not been edited):
Mean comments about Sarah Palin. "Please go away from my wall. I do not like you or agree with any dumb thing you say or do."
Mean things about the people who say mean things about Sarah Palin. "if you dont like her posts LEAVE THE GROUP DUMBASS!!!!"
Racial or ethnic slurs. "America's greatest threat is Marxism and International Jewry/Zionism! We will never regain our Liberty and Freedom until we expel every Jew from America!"
Polite disagreement. "Sarah, perception is everything! I learned that in the military. All you have to do is disassociate yourself from those Tea Partiers that are indeed racist and the NAACP gones [sic] away," wrote one in response to Palin's post on the NAACP's charge that the Tea Party tolerated racism. "Even they [the NAACP] admit the Tea Party is not a racist organization. Mrs. Palin, I believe you to be an honorable Woman. You believe in your cause. Sometimes for the good of the cause one has to make a stand even to those that support the cause. Remember John Mccain, circa 2008 in which a woman stood up and called Candidate Obama a Muslim. The Honorable John Mccain rebuked her. This could be your moment."
Too much agreement. "Do us a favor Sarah, trap a few Wolves and ship em to D.C., they do eat Rats don't they? Have a great trip Sarah, God Bless."
Criticism of her children. "please dont let your daughter do a reality show :( but i love your family and you ..hope thats just a rumor from the liberals."
Anything about Obama's birth certificate or conspiracies related thereto, even in muted form. "Just so we're clear, Conspiracy theories about Obama's refusal to release his college records--lunacy. Conspiracy theories about Trig Palin--journalism."
Complaints about her endorsements of so many female candidates. "I am beginning not to like you (Sarah). You have endorsed every women candidate running. You are looking quite biased." (Actually, she's endorsed as many men as women.)
Excessive use of religious prophesy or imagery. "The ones I feel for is one day those in the media that are doing the way they are will come down .you are a threat to them and their evil ways. David only needed 5 stones to bring down the giant. and i belive those five stones had on them five letters JESUS. The road may get hard but one day you will know God gave you that to walk."
Amazing! I knew that they were heavily censoring comments, I have been told that by many of my readers, but even I did not realize just how controlled that page really was.
I definitely suggest that you read the entire article. There are some fascinating bits about the editors NOT allowing positive remarks about Huckabee, as well as the deletion of comments complaining about the censorship of their comments.
Could you just IMAGINE what kind of presidency a President Palin would provide to this country? It just makes your skin crawl to consider, doesn't it?
I can't believe someone took the time to analyze a Facebook page. I mean, seriously, it's Facebook, a social networking site -- not the Congressional Quarterly.
ReplyDeletePlease somebody, get the hook and get this freakshow off the stage already. This slide into stupidity after all the education I was told I needed to have to get ahead is k*lling me!
Hey Gryph
ReplyDeleteJust saw on msnbc.com that Bristol has officially called off the engagement. Apparently she has done an exclusive interivew with People that hits the newstands Friday.
Guess they had no takers on the reality show so they had to find another way to get some easy cash. Geez these people disgust me!
When are they going to be exposed for the frauds that they are????
This is very important information because it directly disproves the false notion that she's just all common sense, for the people, one of the people and all that other "common folk" stuff she tries to present herself as being a part of. When you require a staff of 12 to write your Facebook posts and Twitter posts, edit comments on them, prep you with hair and makeup for your many Faux news reports and public speeches, let alone take care of your (or your daughter's) ever expanding group of illegitimate children, you can no longer count yourself as one of the "ordinary" folk. The myth is shattered. She's officially in McCain territory. Remember how he couldn't remember how many houses he had? Bet she can't remember how many staffers/nannies/bribers she has. (Bribers are the ones constantly handing out money to get people to either shut up or go on record with lies to make Serror look good. God, how much money has she spent on this alone? Gryphen, you've hinted that it's a LOT of money! I'll bet it boggles the mind.)
ReplyDeleteThe FUN thing is that because she's never had real money before, she is burning through what she's getting VERY quickly. She might only be worth about 10 million take home pay (after taxes, agents' expenses, etc.) in her lifetime, and with her acquiring property in Montana, expanding her homes, buying stuff for Bristol, and bribing the entire state of Alaska to keep its collective mouths shut, there ain't gonna be no money left in another year or so.
And THAT will be fun to see.
Chris Matthews did an op-ed style piece on his Let Me Finish segment this afternoon about the frightening possibility of a Sarah Palin presidential win.
ReplyDeleteMust see T.V.
o/t: Bristol to return to abstinent-only speaking after being played for a fool
ReplyDeleteCan someone let us know when she wasn't played? Why wouldn't she fall in love with someone who played her? It is all she knows. Look at what her parents do to her.
Image is everything in our culture. If anybody is still in doubt that there is a highly paid team working 24/7 on Sarah's image (made harder by her big fat mouth), these kinds of analyses should put that doubt to rest. Now that Sarah is a private citizen with big bucks, she can afford to pay through the nose for her clean image. She still leaks through though, in all her ignorant nasty glory.
ReplyDeleteJust heard Sharron Angle's little interview from FOX on the Ed Show where she talks about how media should like her - give her questions in advance so they can present her as she wishes to be presented. Huh? She should go to communist China if she wants a censored or controlled media that portrays politicians and the government only one way.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Chris Matthews went off on Palin this afternoon - great piece that also covered Angle. See if you can see a clip somewhere. Worth the time.
I have no idea how many sites Palin has on Twitter that are uncensored. I "follow" two: @SarahPalinUSA and @palin. I use TweetDeck (if you're not familiar with TD) it permits me to see five columns at once but I can scroll on over to an unlimited number.
ReplyDeleteSo far, people can say anything they want on it. It doesn't appear to be censored. Sarah's Tweets show up on those two accounts and she gets a lot of tweets from slobbering fans, but also gets a tremendous number of tweets that are certainly less than complimentary.
It's comforting to know that there are many, many other people out there who feel just like I do about Madam Palin. If there was a way for Palin to censor Twitter, I'm sure she would. Another advantage is that I can write one Tweet and send to both the above Palin accounts plus send to @teaparty and/or others at the same time. If you don't Twitter, you should get a Twitter ID, then do a quick download of TweetDeck. Incredibly simple.
I follow the half term govs facebook although never "written" or commented on the site (I know better from my experience at C4P where I was banned after one comment!)
ReplyDeleteI am always so shocked when reading FB comments, they're all "pro" anything she said or did. Now I understand why. Obviously if there is even a hint of dissention in the ranks it is erased. (Honestly didn't know you could do that!) Guess if the "puppet masters" say "beautiful clothes" -and banishes the kid saying
"they're naked" - you'll never hear know the truth
Should we feel sorry for Quitter? She's the one that won't take her head out of her Azz to really hear what ppl are saying. She's willing to accept the fairy tale being spoon fed down her gullet.
The more I read about Ronald Reagan - am more aware she COULD become the president because of corporate money & media packaging. God help us if we vote to elect a Palin bill of goods: flag wrapped & bible held high in the right hand.
i ironically became a facebook fan of sarah's because i wanted to see what strangeness "she" was writing, to read just what her sycophants were saying, and to be able to stand up and speak my own mind, which sarah says she supports. i made three comments which were in the "polite disagreement with sarah' category. there were three, fact-based comments in all; it took a minimum of one day for those three comments to be erased, and for me, not to be removed as an accepted friend, but to be no longer able to comment. so in other words, sarah wants me to keep up her number of followers, but also wants me to "sit down and shut up."
ReplyDeletei had no idea hat there were so many comments that were supportive of her being scrubbed, though. we know what insanity a real palinbot comment looks like. bet she's not left with too many comment in the end and has to have her staff comment instead.
Palin gets what she wants. Bristol says she broke up with Levi---Talking to People and TMZ--trash. I can't post the links.
ReplyDeleteNews Flash! Bristol and Levi's engagement is off! What a surprise.
ReplyDeleteI understand about the censorship. I had signed up for her Facebook page just to see what gems would come up. I did criticize a few of the posts and then I was blocked from posting. I couldn't comment any more. I guess that Sharron Angle gets her ideas from.
ReplyDeleteReally? Really?
ReplyDeleteHow many posts do you delete here, Gryphen?
"I can't believe someone took the time to analyze a Facebook page. I mean, seriously, it's Facebook, a social networking site -- not the Congressional Quarterly."
ReplyDeleteBut since Sarah refuses to be interviewed by a real journalist, Facebook IS, for her, as serious as it gets. As long as Sarah chooses to spout her nonsense via Facebook and Twitter, I think it's valid to examine those social networking cites to see what she's up to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwTpZpwjtIE
ReplyDeleteYou don't need no education.
Just Facebook and suckers to send you money.
WHO found it? In the thread "Correcting Injustice in Wasilla,"
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
Hey Gryphen, have you seen this great article in the Slate about them capturing Palin's Facebook posts before the moderator deletes them?
http://www.slate.com/id/2262544/pagenum/all/#p2
1:35 PM
HuffPo is reporting that Levi told Bristol he may have fathered a baby with an unidentified woman and that he and Bristol have officially split. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/03/bristol-palin-levi-johnst_n_669365.html?ir=Politics
ReplyDeleteAny news on this, Gryphen? You would think your reporting, Mercedes' blog, and Lanesia's statements would have cleared this up. Is there another girl? The cute one that was pictured with him earlier this year?
Yeah Anonymous 3:35, I "found it" in my comments section. I can't really give a hat tip to "Anonymous" now can I?
ReplyDeleteHowever if that "Anonymous" is you, thanks I really appreciate the link. And hopefully you enjoyed the post.
*warm smile* Yes, that "Anonymous" is me, and I enjoyed the post.
ReplyDeleteBut, sure, a hat tip could have been given to "Anonymous in my comments section."
"David only needed 5 stones to bring down the giant. and i belive those five stones had on them five letters JESUS."
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with this deletion because it is patently STUPID. Not even Sarah would something THIS retarded. Ok well, maybe she would....
David is in the OLD TESTAMENT - how would he have known the name of Jesus, let alone write it on the stones he used? It makes no freaking sense at all!!
Why are some of my fellow Christians so brutally idiotic??? READ YOUR BIBLES, people!!!! Quit embarrassing God and the rest of us. UGH.
The only thing that surprises me is deleting the religious posts. This is the most hard-core of her fan base, and you would think that her minions would take special care of them.
ReplyDeleteOf course, in Palinland no disagreements, no matter how mild are allowed.
The very first thing that turned me against Quittypants was her attempt to bully the Wasilla librarian into removing books from the collection.
The second thing was her complaint during the campaign that criticism from the media about the hatefulness of her political rally's made her fearful of her first amendment rights.
She HATES the free flow of information in our country; thank you America for slapping this woman down.
GrainneKathleeen
ReplyDeleteyou don't have to be a FB friend of scary's to read her fake posts or the slobbering comments of her deluded fans.
if you are unable to comment UNFRIEND HER NOW. why beef up her numbers? she is using you. well, she's using everyone, but at least those fools like her.
i bet if all the non-palin fans unfriended her, her totals would float back below 1 million.
The censoring of comments also include not allowing undesirables to post.
ReplyDeleteShe was on my Facebook friends list just so I could occasionally post, "This woman is an idiot" in response to her/Mansour's posts.
I'm not allowed to post anymore. I'm broken-hearted of course.
Is it just me or does anyone else look at the photo of Sarah that is at the top of this article and see the face of pure evil?
ReplyDeleteI Friended Sarah on Facebook just to read the silly posts. Tried to post and was ask for a credit card. I couldn't believe it. Was also ask for my email address. I didn't give either one of course and immediately UNfriended her. Never before (or since) on a facebook site, have I been asked for a credit card or email address when trying to comment.
ReplyDeleteCensorship, in one form or another, is a fact of life, it happens all the time. How many sites have a disclaimer such as: "Comment moderation is enabled, or Comments must follow certain guidelines, or By submitting a comment, you are agreeing to user agreement".
ReplyDeleteAfter all, it is Sarah's page, I guess she can accept/reject whatever comments she wants. It is only natural that she wants comments that agree with her views.
It is my belief that Sarah really doesn't have a Facebook page, but it nothing more than a scam set up by her handlers to put forth their agenda.
Anon @ 2:09
ReplyDeleteIt is a very interesting sociology study, Facebook is the newest and most invasive way to manage and monitor your most random human interaction. That even the most improbable people sign-up and engage is fascinating.
It's even more telling how much the Sarah camp has to invest in Facebook management, it is her only public outlet other than Fox News and the tabloids that allows her to micro-manage her message without any push back.
Still, ten percent deletions are a lot less than I would expect. For as slobbering a response many people put up to praise Sarah, there should be just as much telling her to STFU.
Anon @ 2:54
ReplyDeleteGryphen isn't a public figure and not running a political action committee or endorsing candidates that affect political discourse.
This is a blog. His personal opinions. You don't have to read it, you don't have to visit to up his hits.
Just like train-wreck fans don't have to sign up to Sarah's Facebook site to see her rants. Even if they don't support her, it makes her look credible that she has that number of followers.
If you are cut off from even commenting, delete her as a friend. The Lamestream Media will report her every utterance for your viewing pleasure.
Unfriend Sarah. Bring more attention to their practice of tailoring their pro-friend site; while it is not unusual and commonplace, it is disingenuous in packaging her mainstream appeal.
The article would have been more compelling if they had shown some of the incendiary comments that were allowed to remain compared to some of the polite disagreement comments that were deleted.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't hard to imagine what kind of presidency Palin would inflict on the nation. All you have to do is look at the censorship of historical fascist states. And then look beyond to other facets. The reason the GOP and others use communism and socialism so liberally to attack the left but refrain from using the word fascism is because they're afraid people will look up the definiation and realize that it isn't the left they need to fear.
ReplyDeleteWhat "incendiary comments" on Quittypant's Facepage? Can you provide some examples, Anon 6:16 am? The point of the article was how carefully sanitized her page was...
ReplyDeleteHer "Palin Pounce" picture; well that is what I call it. Rose Rosetree, a famous empath did a reading on Palin during the elections.
One of her observations was SP's style of smiling and having a chirpy "let's be friends" kind of tone to her voice and face, and then lashing out verbally with the most hurtful, untrue statements.
This style of meanness is extremely disorienting to most people, and one of the strategies SP has used to escape being called out on her nasty behavior toward others.
I think this picture also shows a side of SP that is all about intimidation; she looks like a predator...