Mod control of Tubridy payment Thread

evolvingtipperary101

Recent developments on the RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

Who is moderating and accessing Beasty?

Recent posts of Beasty contain threats and dismissive barbs against posters on the thread.

There seems to be a Wilful misunderstanding of the issue in order to take aim at posters on the thread. Tubridy recently penned an article on O’Connor’s passing which was discussed. Beasty stated that posters were using O’Connor’s death to criticise Tubridy when in fact posters were criticising Tubridy’s front and centre positioning of himself in relation to O’Connor’s death.

Beasty used mod status to hide fair response/criticism. He followed posters across threads (to the O’Connor thread and removed their posts there too- targeting several posters). He has removed my posts without notifying me.

People are entitled to respond to Turbrdiy’s article on O’Connor. It’s a thread on the behaviour of Tubridy. 

The mod maintains posters are using O’Connor’s death to criticise Tubridy. This is a disturbing take and completely unfair. Tubridy wrote an article on O’Connor and posters are entitled to respond. Posters did not suddenly tie O’Connor to Tubridy. Tubridy did that. A disgraceful and divisive intervention by a mod. This incursion continues with another threat to close the thread. There is no objectivity to such moderation. Several posters are so dismayed they’ve dm’d me to say they’re thinking of leaving boards due to such over zealous, helicopter censorship and bullying across threads. See posts below:

Beasty

Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators

Posts: 70,274 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭29-07-2023 9:43pm

Seriously - some of you guys having issues with Tubridy's reaction to Sinead O'Connor's death?

Are you so oblivious to the fact you are using her death to take potshots at him?

Seriously - have some cop on

Do not respond to this warning. Any questions PM me

Beasty

Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators

Posts: 70,274 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭30-07-2023 1:07pm

OK, I will say this only once. Many of the posters in this thread are not discussing the actual topic. Get back to discussing that or the thread will be closed

CGI_Livia_Soprano

I have been reading that thread.

<Snip> This thread is to discuss moderation - not other posters.

The discussion has gone so far beyond the realm of fair game and criticism to bullying and piling-on to a public figure.

I always thought that abusing public figures is not allowed on boards and yet there is an entire thread for calling Tubridy the worst kind of names imaginable.

That thread, like so many other threads where the lunatic have taken over the asylum (that’s a well known idiom, I’m not calling anyone a lunatic), is a stain on this site.

Beasty did the right thing when he posted those warnings above, and he should do the right thing by closing the thread entirely. <Snip> This thread is to discuss moderation - not other posters

Jim_Hodge

It has become comical lately to read threads complaining because Mods enforced the rules. Beasty was right. That thread was being abused.

evolvingtipperary101

A certain poster banned from Tubridy thread now tries to derail this thread. Unseemly

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120916347#Comment_120916347

So you'd have no issue if a Mod banned them from the thread for derailing it.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120916388#Comment_120916388

I’d have no issue if the mod didn’t take a biased position on issues, censor fair and obvious criticism, remove critical posts of their acts and keep supportive ones, DM aggressively, bully posters into posting in a way that suits them, follow posters onto other threads and remove their posts, and didn’t threaten to remove the thread for no good reason other than the positions of many posters not suiting their own take on events. Something very unseemly and biased taking place. A clear attempt to censor a thread and antagonise posters away from fair and obvious criticisms

Spanish Eyes

Who mods this thread?

what does sinead o Connor being friends with Ryan tub or indeed him writing about their friendship have to do with the payment scandal (the topic of the thread..)

beasty is dead right imo that’s exactly what anyone bringing it up is doing— using any avenue available to attack Tubirdy including apparently sinead o Connor.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120916790#Comment_120916790

Many people - on boards and elsewhere on social media - feel it is part of the sympathy game by Tubridy to 'rehabilitate' himself in the public eye to get back on the air at RTE. I think that is a plausible interpretation, certainly one that could be reasonably discussed.

And whether Tubridy returns to RTE seems to me to be very much on topic of that thread.

But if it is deemed off topic, is it valid to create a new thread to discuss it? Should it be discussed on a Sinead O'Connor RIP thread? Perhaps on After Hours?

Was there mod intervention on the Christy Dignam RIP thread when people started criticising Dave Fanning's comments about Dignam?

I don't see any.

Is there a precedent now on boards that no discussion is allowed of responses to a death, even where there is public unease at a response?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058300761/christy-dignam-rip/p5

The moderation is nothing short of disgraceful and quite frankly in support of those who bully other posters. It is part of the sickness that is in the underbelly of Ireland. You’ll find me calling it out on Twitter under my real name, Martine. This sickness of labelling people who criticise Ryan Tubridy the broadcaster, cannot fester on. I never wish the man or anyone any personal ill will whatsoever, but in the context of all that has emerged recently on the public forum I cannot have any other opinion of him as a broadcasting personality.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120916790#Comment_120916790

RT is trying to get back into peoples good books and we should be allowed to question this.

It's not our fault that RT will use anything and anybody to get what he wants.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120916979#Comment_120916979

so start a thread about that then? idk what to tell you like

nachouser

A private "We hate rte" sub-forum might keep them happy:-)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917132#Comment_120917132

There used to be a ranking and raving forum for exactly the sort of hate-filled bile we’ve seen develop around here. Then leave the CA thread for a more nuanced and cerebral discussion on this topic.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917118#Comment_120917118

no they’re not actually you’re all just dying for an excuse to have a go at the chap. his friend died, he wanted to write about her, but sure it’s all for publicity and sympathy of course, it’s not that a human being is mourning the loss of a friend.

clearly a very close friend as well and I’m sure Sinead understood better than most how it feels to have everyone turn against you (rightly or wrongly is irrelevant here but that’s the situation)

but no of course he’s just buying sympathy from us all, I mean, I feel bad for her family and close relations 100x more than I feel bad for Ryan here, but I certainly empathise with his loss and find it frankly shocking that an admin of the website requesting people to have a little bit of cop on is met with this much backlash.

A help desk thread because ye can’t accuse him of something he prob isn’t even doing? Grow up lads honestly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917153#Comment_120917153

There still is.. and 100% spot on that exactly where this kinda craic should go.

the RT thread in CA should be used to discuss his antics at RTE & the PAC only, if you want to start accusing them of nefarious behaviour in relation to the loss of a close friend you would be better off in R&R or frankly the CT forum..

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917219#Comment_120917219

In fact this is exactly the type of post that supports my original post.

A mod attempting to derail a thread by insulting posters and wilfully misrepresenting the original points in order to derail a thread.

Sorolla

I was also banned from the Tubridy thread but my ban was 100% justified because I was trolling the shît out of the thread.

i was amazed I wasn’t banned sooner.

@Beasty has the patience of a saint and any bans he hands out are justified and I find his thread moderation is fair.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917244#Comment_120917244

One would wonder why a lot of posters, including you, are still active on boards.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917299#Comment_120917299

Care to elaborate?

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917318#Comment_120917318

Read the last line in your post that I quoted.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917331#Comment_120917331

Care to elaborate?

Pintman Paddy Losty

This thread is ridiculous. The levels of conspiratorial thinking needed to believe that RTE/NKM are in cahoots with respected long time boards posters and senior moderators to have criticism of Ryan Tubridy silenced. Jesus. Like take a step back and realise how mad that sounds.

Beasty has some patience listening to crap like that. The guy couldn't be fairer. He even gave me a warning today for praising his moderation. You can't say fairer than that (though I believe he was wrong to do so, I understand where he's coming from.)

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917378#Comment_120917378

Nothing about RTE or NKM in original post. Try again. This is about the behaviour of an over zealous, aggressive mod - nothing to do with anything else

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917363#Comment_120917363

I have.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917393#Comment_120917393

Did not. No sense on any level made

evolvingtipperary101

Posters are sick and tired of being controlled and bullied by an aggressive mod who just shuts posters down and controls them down with censorship. And said posters are entitled to challenge that behaviour

There are eight likes on the original post and counting. That’s eight people who agree that the mod is out control

There’s an attempt to move the narrative onto something about a thread on RT. That’s not the issue. Reread the original post.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917268#Comment_120917268

I’m insulting you? Where was the insult in my posts?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917504#Comment_120917504

I’m not engaging anymore in your rant tbh you can talk to yourself, all I’m going to say is

beasty is one of the fairest admins I’ve known on boards. You don’t get to be a site admin because you’re some sort of tyrant. I would be happy to be half as good a moderator as beasty is.

Im only sorry he has to listen to this kinda crap day in and day out and from one of the busiest forums on boards to boot. Say and think what you want. I know myself and most if not all of the mods at least have nothing but the upmost respect for him.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917522#Comment_120917522

No I’m telling you not to reply to my post 5 times with different complaints.

im not a moderator for either help desk or CA so I’m not assessing anything.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917564#Comment_120917564

Not reflected in the likes on the original post. You’re opinion is not objective and invalid

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917535#Comment_120917535

The radio forum is great when the topics are discussed but it’s an awful place when it’s just spite directed at the presenter.

A really great, and sound, moderator was driven from the site due to trying to stop the abuse and others did step in to “stem” it but if Ryan gets back on air I fear it will just go back to how it was.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917564#Comment_120917564

Even an excellent referee, judge or mod - lets say one who gets things right X percent of the time ... can sometimes make the wrong call in a small amount of cases Y.

And I think it would a mistake to get into a situation where consideration isnt given to the possibility of Y.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917595#Comment_120917595

I never said any mod or admin is incapable of making a mistake or judging a situation badly.

But the fact is this thread is filled with pure ignorance and assertions that beasty is a bias, corrupt awful mod who’s just out to getcha (as most seem to be…)

i’ve made my opinion clear re RT & sinead and discussing his article; I won’t circle the wagon endlessly so I just wanted to say that for all the hardship he gets (undeservedly), I think he’s doing a great job and I would only hope to be half the mod beasty is as I said.

Im sure I am being chalked up to a kiss ass already, I do not care. I’m frankly disturbed at this trend of posters throwing their toys out of the pram in help desk when things don’t go their way.

Whatever happened to the first step in DRP discussing with the mod in question? Have any of you even spoken to beasty and asked him why?

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917614#Comment_120917614

He is simply not approachable and discourages any further discussion once you contact him. Ultra aggressive and dismissive. Posts to DM him with issues but any engagement with him is anxiety inducing and just an unpleasant experience. Someone like RebelGirl15 is the complete opposite- a brilliant understanding mod with a real way of respectful engagement. That’s a mod who should be teaching the rest how to communicate with posters

thegame983

I've no experience with the Tubridy thread but mods definitely warn/ ban as per their own biases/opinions and certainly not by some kind of charter.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917686#Comment_120917686

No, just again making sure we are all clear I am not a mod here. I do not want anyone to think otherwise that is all.

I said I will no longer engage in a debate on this subject with you & I meant that and will not. Correcting you for saying I’m a mod here is not the same.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917827#Comment_120917827

It’s not really though, one of the “main players” is even believed to have used that moderator’s real name on that other site to mock them.

Some people take all this online “stuff” way too seriously and if someone were to do that to me you can be sure I’d be shutting up shop immediately.

It’s just an utter shame that it cost the site an excellent moderator and a great person.

odyssey06

A fair test of the moderation of the thread will be how a threadbanned poster who on this thread insults posters on the Tubridy thread as a cancer or vultures is dealt with.

It will be a pretty damning indictment of moderation and forum charters if there is no appropriate action taken.

Modding is a difficult task, it’s head wrecking, wouldn’t do it for any amount of money now. Getting constant threats to your well-being just not good for the old mental health. On the other hand I found some users criticised here were very reasonable even if they were hard to argue against because they presented a very rational argument. Even so the old one day or two day bans could allow cooling down time. I believed everyone deserved a voice, but I didn’t lie back and take personal threats, including one pm wishing I would soon be deceased as I hated elderly people. If that person knew the reality of roles I had taken on in life, the sentiment was obscene.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917979#Comment_120917979

I have done nothing wrong. I’m sticking up for myself and other posters who are being unfairly treated by a mod. It’s all in the original post.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120918046#Comment_120918046

This we can definitely agree on.

It speaks to a bigger issue though which is what I’ve mentioned here, which is when posters (not all of course), get told no they become incredibly irate and hostile.

This thread is imo a prime example. The OP has admitted they never even spoke to Beasty, but yet they are running to HD to lambast moderators as if they have a clue.

I cringe when I mod some posters and/or threads because I just know the abuse I’m getting already. But then if we dont we get it from the other side.

You literally can’t win as a mod. Even in this thread, in a forum I’m not a mod, just because I’ve got silver stars I’m getting accused of god knows.

i probably am coming across a bit agitated unintentionally tbh reading back but I just can’t get this constant negativity and vitriol towards an individual who has and continues to do their best to help the site. Without people like Beasty I doubt boards would have survived migration if not before it.

You should know yourself as a former mod how difficult it is recode & the fact you’re jumping in to disparage mods as if they are not almost certainly getting twice the complaints people are bringing RT & sinead into the thread as they are getting now for putting a stop to it is crazy to me.

Moderation is almost always damned if you do and fanned if you don’t. Very rarely are you not going to tick off someone.

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120918126#Comment_120918126

Many posters have had many dealings with Beasty in DM and it’s not something they want to repeat. Very unnerving, anxiety inducing and unpleasant.

you’re still trying to derail the thread with irrelevant nonsense as if mods can do no wrong. This mod has crossed the line with several posters and they’re sick of the treatment. It has to stop.

Posters would have no issue if the mod didn’t take a biased position on issues, censor fair and obvious criticism, remove critical posts of their acts and keep supportive ones, DM aggressively, bully posters into posting in a way that suits them, follow posters onto other threads and remove their posts, and didn’t threaten to remove the thread for no good reason other than the positions of many posters not suiting their own take on events. Something very unseemly and biased taking place. A clear attempt to censor a thread and antagonise posters away from fair and obvious criticisms.

The whole thing is very sad and there’s just no need to treat posters this way. Many mods don’t. Some seem to go out of their way to target posters

Lisha

Hi, I put a post on the Rip Sinead thread last night. I was annoyed by Ryan tweet as I found the timing ironic. I said I found it poor form that he was rehabbing himself using a tragedy to deflect from himself. Then I saw this and some other tweets had disappeared . I was intrigued by this. Years ago i was on boards a lot. I’m not as much now. I might read a bit but I don’t engage often. Then I found this feedback thread. What I posted last night was only my opinion. Im not part of a pile on or part of a group to get anyone else. I haven’t read a Ryan thread in years. I rarely listen to radio now so I’ve no interest in him.

but I’m still able to form opinions about things. It’s seems over the top censorship wise to delete posts as was done last night.

selectamatic

Beasty works hard at a rather unenviable task. The politics forum mods have a similarly unenviable task. On the face of it I would say quite a lot if this is good work.

Re-regs and multiple account users are a pox on the site.

I don't post in CA at all generally. However I am/have been an avid reader of some mammoth threads that take serious modding.

The value of some of the informed opinions on such threads by knowledgeable posters who consolidate news reports and information from across the internet cannot be highlighted and praised enough. Ukraine/Russia thread would be a good recent example of such a thread. The rte one too.

Often I personally disagree with certain mod takes. Fair enough we all disagree in life at times.

However one thing I find unacceptable is threats to close such threads. It is ultimately taking the ball and going home.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120918800#Comment_120918800

+1 to all of that

The trojan work done by mods doesnt mean they are always going to make the right call. Especially if they have an overload of calls to make. The batting average is very good but there are anomalies like this.

And to add:

Threats to close a thread are also an invitation to bad faith actors to deliberately get a thread shut down.

And there has been concerted efforts from such bad faith actors eg trolls and reregs and sock puppets on the Tubridy thread to disrupt it and shut down debate about it on this site already.

Its patently clear there are people who would 'burn' an account to shut down the thread.

There were even DMs sent from a rereg pretending to be a solicitor.

I think above rereg poster’s aim is solely to have this thread closed asap. The same 3-5 toxic individuals are baiting posters & mods alike and absolutely destroying this site. New regs should have posting restrictions (except in personal issues where a personal crisis may emerge), imo there should be a delay of two days before being allowed to commence posting, then a daily post limit, say for a week, until they prove themselves to be a genuine contributor to conversations.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120918800#Comment_120918800

A modding scenario very well analysed.

Big Bag of Chips

I'm going to lock this thread for the moment and have a look through to see of it's actually a valid Helpdesk Thread.

----------------------------------

Edit: Thread reopened with over 3 pages of off-topic posts deleted. This is a Feedback thread. Feedback specifically of Boards.ie and moderation.

People's opinions on RTÉ, Ryan Tubridy, NKM, RT's mother, other posters etc are completely and totally irrelevant to this discussion. All off topic posts have been deleted. Some posters have received warnings for off-topic posts. Some posters have received warnings for abusive posts.

The thread will be allowed to remain open if it is an appropriate feedback thread. Feedback offered needs to be civil and constructive. Name calling and childish insults won't really strengthen the argument. We're all adults here*. May I suggest everyone behaves as such

*I assume

I think the moderation in general is excellent. It’s a volunteer position, and everybody makes mistakes or has some biases, but overall the team manage to do a fine job. There’s noticeably less of them as well.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120918156#Comment_120918156

To add to that list: treat certain individuals preferentially, allowing them to get away with appalling behaviour. And you're right - the way of speaking to people is shocking. So aggressive.

These objections are NOT simply because they're a mod/admin. I've the height of respect for some mods, e.g. JupiterKid.