Charlotte Dawson
We’re reeling this morning following news that after eight hours of unrelenting abuse on Twitter last night, TV host Charlotte Dawson has been hospitalised.
Charlotte is a much loved and respected member of Mamamia’s extended family and to say we are devastated by this news doesn’t come close to how we feel.
This all came about because of trolls; those people who sit on the Internet and – often anonymously – send abusive, hate-filled messages to people they don’t know.
Charlotte has long been a target of trolls. The star herself has said that the fact she does Botox and is a single, childless woman over 40 has long made her a target of misogynistic vitriol. That in itself is beyond horrific and pathetic.
Being an ambassador for the anti-bullying program Community Brave, Charlotte holds the firm belief that these trolls should be brought out in the public eye and held accountable to the awful things they say.
She takes a stand against the online bullying by retweeting abusive tweets to shame those that have sent them. Now setting aside whether or not this is the best way to deal with internet trolls (is there a good way to deal with unmitigated vitriol?), what happened to Charlotte this week was truly horrific.
When one Twitter user urged Charlotte to “please go hang yourself” this week, Dawson’s followers immediately sprung to her support – including one whose fiance had committed suicide. The troll responded with the tweet: “If I was your fiance, I’d hang myself too.”
Charlotte tracked down the twitter user, and contacted her over the phone, and then reported the incident to her employer – Melbourne’s Monash University. The user has now been suspended from her university mentoring job. Charlotte also appeared on A Current Affair last night to speak about the incident. You can see that here.
What happened next was a tsunami of abuse of pure hate that no person, no matter how strong, could ever be expected to take. The fact that a “#diecharlotte” hashtag appeared on Twitter is a testament to the twisted minds of trolls.
We have chosen to block out the names of the trolls because they want attention and notoriety – that’s what they’re craving when they hurl abuse at others, particularly those in the public eye. And we’re not going to give them the satisfaction.
After experiencing 7 hours of these kind of comments, Charlotte simply tweeted: “Hope this ends the misery…” and “You win.”
At its best, social media is a tool for information sharing. A way to connect directly with those in the public eye we admire. At its worst it is the weapon of choice for bullies. A cowardly way for us to mock, taunt, shame and bully people online. A way in which we can launch a stinging, personal attack where there are no consequences we have to witness or face up to.
As Charlotte said herself, we can go online and call someone an ‘ugly whore’ and go back to doing the ironing.
When did this become okay?
Well Charlotte, we are all here holding your hand. Holding you up.
You are a compassionate, smart, beautiful woman.
Take a look at this beautiful interview that Mia did with Charlotte Dawson last year, in which she is intelligent, funny and refreshingly honest:
If this post brings up issues for you, or you just need someone to talk to, please call Lifeline on 131 114. You can also visit the Lifeline website here and the Beyond Blue website here.
It goes without saying that comments on this post need to remain respectful – otherwise they will be deleted immediately.
Comments
605 Comments so far
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Does Charlotte Dawson know that you can switch twitter off?
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Perhaps mamamia should consider removing the ability to post as ‘anon’ …
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Charlotte Dawson used her public position to stalk, hunt down, expose and report ( to an anonymous person’s employer) something an anonymous person said online. Anonymous person said something which Charlotte didn’t like and didn’t approve of.
Then, previously anonymous person is then publicly “exposed” by Charlotte using her “fans” Internet stalking abilities.
Previously anonymous person is stood down from their professional position, because Charlotte used her public position and her fans to stalk and hunt down a previously anonymous person who said something online which Charlotte didn’t like.
So, 9gag/4chan – whatever they were/are/ an anonymous MULTITUDE of international trolls decide to troll Charlotte Dawson.
If Charlotte wanted to play in the troll playground she ought to have researched it properly first.
This was never a case of random people deciding to be mean to poor old drunken Charlotte! It was an orchestrated troll by “professional” Internet trolls.
All props to Charlotte for milking her little blip for all it’s worth. Although, she might want to re-think what she does online as a “voice” of anti- online bullying.
One of the first rules of the Internet is that one ought not to read or post when drunk. Charlotte, as she admitted on 60 Minutes, did. If she is prescribed Xanax why on earth was she drinking to excess, overreacting on the freaking Internet and Twitter POSTING and trying to get someone – one of the “little people” – sacked from their job?
Whatever happened to personal responsibility?
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The person in question posted their university business card on Twitter, so it wasn’t anonymous. The person in question is also someone working as part of a mentoring program; for high school students, no less. I wouldn’t want someone capable of telling a complete stranger to “go hang yourself” anywhere near my students, especially the bright ones from low income/non-academic families (who tend to over-think and be quite self-deprecating anyway).
If the Twitter account had been anonymous and Ms Dawson had gone to unreasonable lengths to identify its owner, that’d be different. But, this person named themselves, and associated themselves quite clearly with their employer. I get that it was a co-ordinated attack from that point on, but this was quite different.
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Just something to consider….
There are a lot of people talking about things Charlotte has said/done via social media in the past, which is coming across as “she’s bullied others/been mean to others so therefore has no right to complain when it happens to her”.
In light of everything that has happened, that (to me) is the equivalent of saying a kid who starts a bit of push and shove in the pub on a Saturday night, and is later tracked down by a gang of the other guys mates and bashed almost to death doesn’t deserve any protection, or for his attackers to take any sort of responsibility for it….after all – he started it, right?
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Charlotte,
Don`t give up and let those idiots win…
Be strong and keep on fighting
Life is beautiful.
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As an ambassador for Brave Community what message does this saga send to individuals getting bullied or suffering from depression? Has her attempt at publicising her suicide sent the wrong message to children who look up to her, that when the going is tough, end it rather than stand tall?
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I was wondering this too. I can understand how horrible it must be to receive messages filled with such hatred but surely her work with the anti-bullying campaign has taught her she could have signed off at anytime, called a friend for support and blocked / reported those giving the hate? I’m trying to word this in the most tactful way possible because nobody deserves that abuse, and of course it was not her fault – but I’m just not sure what she was trying to achieve ?
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I think her being open with the media about her actions is intended to highlight the severity of what happened, and the impact abuse of social media can (and does) have. And to be honest, when the going is *that* tough and you are suicidal, it’s much, much easier to say stand tall than to actually do so :-/ At that point in time, there’s not a lot of rational thought occurring – the consequences of what you are doing and the message it may send to others are definitely not forefront in your mind. Same as the whole “just ignore it” concept – to someone in a healthy head-space, that’s the obvious thing to do. Turn it off, ignore it, call a friend…… someone suffering depression or who is suicidal though is not thinking logically. The obvious steps are not obvious at that point, the voice of reason is entirely drowned out by a maelstrom of emotion.
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Isn’t it sad that society thinks its ok to treat each other so poorly. No wonder the world is full of wars and people treading on each other to get ‘more more more’. If you find this attitude ok, then surely you cannot complain about banks foreclosing on YOUR mortgage leaving YOU homeless, or employers sacking YOU for no reason? After all, you should just suck it up and take it, right?
Humanity is in a global crisis. All the crises we are witnessing today are rooted in our attitude toward one another. Yet, if it were our very nearest and dearest that was being evicted/abused/sacked, I am sure we would feel their pain and do everything in our power to help them. I am by no means religious, yet I do see at least one underlying principle that are supposedly the backbone of many religions: ‘do not do to others that which is hated by you’. If we could learn to trust and care for each other as a community, the world would be a very different place. These poor people who feel the need to bully would no longer do it, and others would not have the need to show off or say silly flippant remarks. There’s a hell of a lot we can educate ourselves about in a humanitarian way instead of watching all the mind numbing ‘reality’ programs and advertising. Sadly for most it will not be until we are ‘pushed’ by a crisis that directly affects us, that we feel the need to change. If you look around the world you will see what will be closing in on Australia soon – crises in Europe and Russia and the USA. What will we do once the unemployment rate hits an all time high, the government can no longer afford all the NewStart, and we are forced to turn to each other as a community to help each other? And if your house or town gets blown away by a freak storm brought on the global warming, who will you turn to? We need each, and pretty soon we will see how much. Have you seen this great TED talk by Evolutionary Biologist Dr Sahtouris? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1mvI2hEzlA
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seems not all the press are that supporting
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/charlotte-dawsons-the-very-model-of-a-hard-edged-sydney-chick/story-fndo317g-1226462730283
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That’s what passes for journalism in this modern era?
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I’m sorry but Charlotte brought this is on herself. Go hang yourself is like saying go jump in the lake. You do not take it literally. Yet Charlotte hunted this woman down like a nazi war criminal. She is the bully. I hope the woman sues her.
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I find it completely disturbing there are so many ‘likes’ on this comment. The term ‘go hang yourself’should never be common place and I shall refuse to ever let it be in my vocabulary. Giving up and accepting it as a matter of modern language is like giving up on ICE users, and giving up on world wars. The battle to give society back a conscience is one of the biggest I believe we face.
What a cruel, nasty, desensitized world we live in some days….
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We are all responsible for how we feel, react and what we say. Whether we are the bullied or the ones doing the bullying, we have to take responsibility for ourselves.
Just turn off the computer, delete your twitter account, don’t use Facebook and concentrate on those nearest and dearest. Because at the end of the day they are all that matter. That and your own life in relation to those who you love and who love you.
No one can make you feel anything it is all down to you.
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Hey, Mamamia team, I notice there has been a mix up! a long response to this article has been mistaken for a real article on your website, it was a response by “Jamila”, I think? She works for you, so she probably pressed the “publish new article” button by mistake instead of “submit comment”, funny how it happens…. you’re welcome!
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Oh! an afterthought, sorry: I will be making printscreens of the comments section here, from now on. Just, you know, for my personal documentation.
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You ok Clarinette? You seem really upset. I know it’s annoying the way they delete comments on here sometimes but really it’s just a random story on a random website, it doesn’t really matter. Don’t let it get to you too much.
P.S. I read your comments before they were deleted and agree with what you said.
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Oh good. Quite funny really, me here in Brisbane worrying about a woman I’ve never met in a country half a world away. Glad you’re ok though. : )
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Don’t try to get me emotionally involved over the internet, it’s dangerous ^^ hugs!
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I was getting a bit worried about you too clarinette, but I’m glad to hear you’re ok too. But I know exactly how you are feeling because I am too feeling just as upset about the truth or even a different take on what has happened, not being allowed to be heard or written. Even the news on tv isn’t being real . This “poor Charlotte ” routine is nauseating . When you have dished out offensive , demeaning, disgusting comments yourself, you have to expect the same to come back.
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I agree. There’s an obvious explanation in this particular case though, but I’m very truth-driven, the emotional sob-story can’t reach me until I know there is a reasonable probability that it’s true. Like a lie-sniffing hound. If it smells weird, I ask questions. I know it irritates people, but I really can’t help it.
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Hi Clarinette,
Yeah I could’t help but notice that my comment from yeserday was also deleted. I’ve just re-read the notification email and there doesn’t seem to be anything too offensive in their other than the truth about this whole saga. Anyway I’m sure it was just the spam filters right? After all they seem to have been going crazy lately although my comment and your reply was up as of last night?? How curious. All I did was highlight Charlotte’s own venemous contirbutions to twitter? Mamma Mia, you can try and sanitise this all you want and no one wants to see Charlotte harmed or traumatized in any way but please don’t insult the intelligence of your readers who do have critical thinking skills by proclaiming Charlotte to be an innocent “vicitm”of all this. The fact is that if Charlotte hadn’t gone all drama queen the other night she would have gladly continued this saga and gotten her minions to track down more of her critics. I have no idea why a reputable universty is bending to the whim of a TV host over something that doesn’t involve them but it is very worrying. Charlotte is not a bullying vicitim and to suggest it is insulting to those who have suffered true bullying in all its forms. Anyone can smile and be charming in an interview and it’s an art that Queen Bees have perfected. How many of us have been bullied by that girl in the playground only to have everyone leap to her defence because she is “amazing, funny and sweet”? Pull the wool from your eyes people and see the world around you. What happened on twitter the other night was a fight between two bullies. There was not a true victim in sight!
Old habits die hard but I’m sure that Charlotte will move on from this and perhaps gain some insight into the way SHE has made people feel in the past. We’re not in the playground anymore. Welcome to the real world.
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Her 60 minutes interview infuriates me.
If what the media is saying is correct she is in/was in the emergency unit of a public psychiatric hospital, St. Vincents.
It is incredibly difficult to get a place in a public emergency pysch unit. I have personally experienced how difficult it is and have read many stories of desperate people trying to get help and get admitted.
To be in high care public facility and just pop out to do an interview and go back in trivialises mental illness and hospitalisation. High care public pysch is not somewhere you go to get a break from the internet. It is not a place you go to feed your PR machine.
Either she is disrespecting the hospital and mental illness or she actually is seriously ill and the doctors were powerless to stop her leaving and doing the interview. I am not sure which scenario is preferable.
It is a serious battle to get mental illness on the agenda, accepted, understood. It is a serious battle to get public emergency care funded. If her interview creates the wrong perception of mental illness and hospitalisation that will be a great shame.
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When I tried to kill myself, I wasn’t allowed to leave for 36 hours. I’m glad the staff were so firm in this, as I certainly would have succeeded the 2nd time around.
Either Charlotte was admitted for a non mental-health reason, or she had terrible doctors and friends and family who do not care for her wellbeing at all.
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She must have voluntarily admitted herself to the psych ward as otherwise there is no way they would have let her out for any reason.
If you are taken by ambulance or taken by family/friends to a hospital and admitted to a psych ward it is considered “sectioned” and there is a fairly lengthy period – more than just days – until they will allow you to leave and only then after considerable treatment and review.
You can’t just check out when you want – it’s not possible despite your family or doctors etc.
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If she was transported via ambulance she would have been directly admitted as an involuntary patient, so not had to wait for voluntary admission. She would only have been required to stay in hospital if she was still classed as an involuntary patient – there’s five criteria and if she no longer met those criteria after a 24 hour period she would have been changed to an inpatient and allowed to discharge herself at any time.
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Yes, this woman is rediculous, and the attention that the media is giving her even more so. She makes living out of abusing and belittling others. I like the MM “We have chosen to block out the names of the trolls because they want attention and notoriety”. Funny, because that’s all the woman wants. She’s putting herself out there as a public icon, she’s going to cop criticism, it’s part of her job. This woman has everything. And she’s making a scene over this?
Turn off the computer.
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I know plenty of intelligent’ people also. None of them use twitter.
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This issue has actually highlighted something far more sinister than a bitter woman getting her comeuppance via twitter.
It’s highlighted just how inept, or possibly even more disturbingly, how biased the Australian media is.
With the exception of Susie Elelman on The Morning Show, not once have I seen Charlotte Dawson’s sordid, and well documented, twitter rants drawn into question.
This woman has harassed and bullied, made homophobic comments, and, ironically enough, made death threats herself via twitter and other social platforms.
This has been ignored by both the mainstream media, and the authors of this article.
Furthermore, the people that run this site have spent the best part of the day monitoring these comments and deleting those daring to bring Charlotte Dawsons actions into question.
The owner of this site, Mia Freedman, has stated in these very comments, that she was not aware of certain aspects of this story and that even if she was, she would not have included them in the story.
To me this is an absolutely outrageous statement to make by someone running a blog that pretends to be a news source. How many people have taken what was written in this article as the whole truth?
For me this story is now less about a twitter feud that ended how it did and more about the absolutely appalling and obscene way the media has reported it.
If the media are comfortable lying to you about something this trivial, then be willing to censor peoples comments/feelings and then lie about the reason, who knows where it ends.
This is truly a sad day for the Australian media.
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I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve watched the manipulation for several years now and it’s sickening.
I feel betrayed by our media.
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hear hear!, but I am counting the seconds until this one disappears like all the others trying to paint the full picture.
It’s called protecting their own, and this site is a gold medalist in that art.
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Truth, such a brilliant comment. It makes me a bit emotional, to be honest. Democracy relys on a strong and honest press and ours is dangerously flawed and biased. I beg the interns to learn from this episode. They are the voices of the future.
The incestuous world of the lefty elite – the arts, celebrities, politicians and intelligentsia – protect their own. They believe themselves above us and treat us like idiots. We’re only here to stroke their egos and fill their pockets.
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Judging from at least one intern and her need to delete contrary comments, then lie about it, we’re in for some very dark days.
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hehe I saw that one too!
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No need to be melodramatic! Our interns and moderators are new and learning their way. We are guiding them closely and our comments policy has not changed….
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You and your interns deleted comments that opposed your stance on this issue, then blamed it on “spam filters”. Nothing melodramatic about that.
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After this article and the subsequent selective deletions, that you are the one guiding them is… disquieting to say the least…
*Marked for deletion.
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Take screenshots of your comments – lots of them.
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Did she? I have never followed her and wasn’t aware of this:
“This woman has harassed and bullied, made homophobic comments, and, ironically enough, made death threats herself via twitter and other social platforms.”
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Yes she has
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I agree with the points you make on the media coverage of this issue. I have just written whether the mainstream media needs to examine the issue of the vilification in the national media of Ms Heti the woman that Ms Dawson outed as a “twitter troll” last week.
http://www.realityravings.com/2012/09/03/charlotte-dawson-speaks-out-shaken-media-reporting-should-also-examine-the-national-vilification-of-tanya-heti/
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Patty Huntington from Frockwriter wrote…
“indeed. she relishes her freedom of speech but doesn’t accord anyone else the same privilege. she defends her commentary as humour and irony. but when someone even merely holds up a mirror to something that she’s said, it’s not fair comment, it’s abuse. she frequently distorts the truth and misrepresents the former as the latter; ridicules, personally insults, harasses and intimidates any critics, however civilised their criticism; and encourages – nay, incites – the harassment of anyone who says boo to her by her twitter lynch mob. one of whom, in fact one of her good mates, recently told her on twitter he was “getting a gang together to smash the cunt”, regarding one hapless guy in melbourne (@kiwibrotha) who had the temerity to politely ask her if that was what she actually said about new zealand in the NZ herald, when she claimed her quotes in the paper were a misrepresentation. this was a matter of days after comments she made about young girls in skimpy clothing on ACA attracted yet another SM backlash and she claimed ACA also misrepresented her. she has now used her media influence to nationally name and shame a monash university staffer and get her suspended over a comment that was in fact tamer than the one CD made about bryanboy on twitter in may – which of course she dismissed at the time as lighthearted banter – all the while she plugs her new book. i saved a screen cap last night in which she plugs her book at the same time as recommending ppl watch her on various shows on the “telly”. for her troubles, last night she got a taste of what real trolling is when she came to the attention of (global hacktivist collective) anonymous, who conducted a full “raid” over freedom of speech issues. what an achievement. they normally only go after power-abusing corporates. of course, it’s all over her head and she’s blaming the kiwis”
Amongst other things she also apparently managed to squeeze in an interview with 60 minutes the day of her hospital trip, just sayin’
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sounds like the MM double standard creed as well.
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Either you agree with Charlotte or you’re in a deal of bother. At least nowadays her henchmen are only using verbal threats … I can’t say anymore and I am ‘anonymous’ because, as one of the great unwashed, I have no resources or friends in powerful places. Charlotte has been around for a long time, so have I and I have a long memory.
Hhhmmm, what youve described – her twitter lynchmob, inability to handle critisism, refusal to let anyone have the last word, a dangerously inflated ego and a thirst for revenge, is a pattern of behaviour that stretches back decades.
I wish Charlotte a speedy recovery or a huge wake up call, whichever is relevant.
Im just heartily sick to death of being treated like an imbecile by the media. I can’t stand it.
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Let’s not forget, not is she and her henchmen using words, they are also getting people fired.
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I have read hundreds of comments in this thread and find it hard to believe the fuss that’s going on. Look – all of this storm about CD exists only in our heads, in her head, and in some electronic netherworld. It’s not real life! If you’ve ever flown over Australia you would realise how big this country is, and how insignificant you really are. Even if you are famous. Even if you are Tom Cruise or Oprah Friggin Winfrey. There are millions of us! All going about our business. A few hundred – shit, even a few thousand – people writing crap that is all about THEM and really has nothing to do with YOU except for the fact that you are a talking head who occasionally pops up on their TV screen, or appears in a mag – who the fuck really cares, or will care in about three days from now? Turn off the tap. It will go away in a day or so like yesterday’s newspaper. CD made a big mistake engaging this crap and taking it seriously. My sympathies to her, but she could have avoided it all.
Hmmm… I fear I am not making my point very well, but will plough on. IMHO: What social networking has done is made us all think we are playing important roles and can impact people and have a say and all that. This goes double for the fruit loops who have no lives of their own. Legends in their own living rooms! (Or cellars). This is basically crap. The trolls have absolutely no power, no impact other than what’s going on in their own heads. Unless we give it to them. And people like CD who want to play with them, unfortunately fall victim to their own egos by believing that the electronic static popping up on their phones from these creatures actually matters. It doesn’t matter one single bit and the sooner everyone, kids and adults and everyone in between, learns this, the better it will be. Life is lived outside the confines of a smart phone.
/ Rant over. Flame away!
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I posted earlier about Charlotte apparently making mean posts herself. On second thought I realised she seems to do this in defence of a friend. Anyway, enough of the analysis, I hope she gets well soon.
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it’s not ok to tell someone to kill themself.
If she did the same to others, then presumably she now knows how they felt (which does not make it ok but makes it “karma”, I guess).
IF the abuse on twitter got so bad- then turn it off, get a grip and make some changes to your life.
Telling people “you win’ with a picture of pills- that’s Borderline Personality Disordered behaviour. She’s go issues (clearly) and they are longer-standing than other people’s behaviour on Twitter.
She has $ and resources, so whilst I don’t like to see another human being hounded and taunted, she’s about to get lots of life lessons and self-awareness.
In life, pain is inevitable- but suffering is optional.
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My post of about 20 mins ago has disappeared – not completely I hope….lol.
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Urgh!
Just reading some of the off-topic comments below makes me want to weep
So many angry people who are desperate to be heard, whatever the cost.
I haven’t been reading Mamamia for a while, mainly because the comments put me off and the sensationalized topics are often recycled. These people seem to need any excuse to feel enraged, and for that reason I’m logging off from Mamamia and closing my Twitter account.
I have no idea how you control something as uncontrollable as the internet, but there needs to be stricter rules in place for setting up social media accounts. At the moment, all you need to be a troll is a fake email account (sometimes, not even that).
All, I can say is that I wish Charlotte the best in her recovery. No-one deserves to be attacked like that.
Peace, people.
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It’s really frustrating on MM that when I refresh the page to read new comments I am taken back to the first page of comments. Anyone know of a way to avoid this?
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We’ve passed it on – thanks!
-Megan, MM Moderater/Intern
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Thanks Megan
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LeAnn Rimes is now in rehab and according to the article she has been copping (and dishing out) a fair bit on Twitter too.
http://celebrities.ninemsn.com.au/Blog.aspx?blogentryid=1040582&showcomments=true
I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg.
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With a simple search you will find evidence that Charlotte Dawson has been somewhat of an internet bully too. I believe amongst some things she has called people whores and told them to die…
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Yes I read that; she also called on her followers to kill someone as she wished him dead
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And her last picture she posted on her twitter was a god awful abortion joke
https://twitter.com/#!/MsCharlotteD/media/grid
Seems this goes both ways, I wonder how the people she abused over the net are going? I wish her a recovery as I know how hard depression is, but she needs to learn to learn that if she is rude to people they will be rude back vice versa
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I think my question is – perfectly illustrated in these comments, why are people so damn angry all the time.
What happened to everyone?
When did it become ok to write really vicious comments to individuals we don’t even know? Annonymously … often just because someone has a different opinion?
What the hell happened?
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I am with you on this one.
I don’t remember any bullying when I was at school. I don’t remember seeing it in the workplace. And I don’t remember when discussions were so personal.
We absolutely had debating and there were many heated arguments but it was always “on topic”. It is like people don’t know how to express an opinion anymore. Or respect that opinions are allowed to differ.
I feel so old.
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I actually think that people posting comments here have done a reasonably good job at keeping their posts on-topic and civil.
However, it is disheartening to see the site delete comments that express differing opinions, or point out the hypocrisy and bias of the article.
As you said “opinions are allowed to differ.”
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Annonymous, my comment was truly not a crtiticism of this particular post – as I said, perfectly illustrated by these comments – it’s everywhere.
From all sides.
The criticism of people online is, to use your word, disheartening.
If we were at the pub having a drink I’m sure a lot of us would get along?
In my opinion, which counts for little as only one voice, I just really dont think its ok to speak to people like this – whether you are Charlotte, a ‘Troll’ etc etc etc.
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‘If we were at the pub having a drink I’m sure a lot of us would get along?”
Too true Teal.
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I’ll meet you there at 5 Anonymous
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You are so right Teal, the angry, is everywhere.
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Twitter itself seems to be getting out of hand now – I joined and “tweeted” a couple of friends and “followed” Stephen Fry” for a while but realised it would take up too much time to maintain. Facebook is time consuming (if you let it ) of course but it’s been a nice way to stay connected to friends, family & peers.
The times that I notice trolls is when I’m sharing views on vegetarianism ( I’m a “veggo”), or boat people ( I sympathise with their plight) or creationism (what a joke) or evolution, or extremism or fascism, or religious & political bullies and so on……
Some of these dimwits are clearly bored, they’re usually barely literate and never thoroughly educated – they’d never win a proper debate.
Some are mentally ill or vicious and potentially dangerous and should be reported ASAP.
Never acknowledge them – at all……….it just empowers them.
I’m not interested in Charlotte’s history………what those twitter twits did was unbelievably wrong and they should be arrested.
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Interesting topic. I really feel for Charlotte and that she has had to be hospitalized because of being attacked on twitter.Yes she is one of the most known media personalities for have an opinion and a very strong one at that.However hopefully she is ok and that this brings attention to bullying on the internet.I am sure Charlotte is sorry for the bullying that she did herself on twitter and it would be good to see this argument between them resolved.unfortunately when you put yourself out there you are subject to the opinions of others.Its not fair for people to go too far and cross the lines in order to cause pain and hurt to others including Charlotte.There was another media personality with strong opinions – PRUE- She went on the radio told everyone in an interview that children with disabilities do not belong in main stream schools because her normal children were being disadvantaged by that. Twitter was not a big thing at that time – if it was she would of heard very angry words from me.We are all allowed to voice our opinions not just media personalities.I hope that Charlotte recovers well and during her recovery thinks about some of the comments that she has made public, that have also hurt people.
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I dont have a problem with Prue’s comments, if that is what she said. Disabled children are often better suited to a specialised school able to cope with their needs. Making the mainstream environment fit their needs isnt always easy or successful. And it does often compromise the education of the other children in the class. I have a child who shares a class at the moment with an intellectually disabled child and the kids cannot complete their work in class. They have to do most of their school work at home because the classroom environment is chaotic. Their days are completely disrupted by the behaviour and intervention required. This situation isnt fair on the child, the rest of the class, nor the teachers or special needs aids. However this is how the parents want their child educated so that is what the whole class has to endure on a daily basis.
Often its the parents inability to accept that their child needs a special school and is significantly different to other kids who cause their disabled child the biggest injustice.
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I agree, anon. It’s an argument for another day, of course, but I absolutely agree with Prue.
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I think you are a beautiful, strong, inspirational woman. You have shown us that single women in their 40s, who don’t have children of their own, can and do have meaningful, wonderful lives. You open our eyes to the beauty of the human spirit and make us all want to be better people and world citizens, Moira Kelly.
Interns, as our future media voices remember this, the women of Australia are much deeper and more intelligent than the glitterati would have you believe.
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Also, it might be worth MM closing comments here, as it seems like the mods are starting to engage/justify a little too much. No need to wear yourselves out trying to be all things to all people.
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They *could* try just being journalists…
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Whats the deal Ladies? Charlotte Dawson has made a career in judging the physical appearences of aspiring Women. She’s incredibly vain whilst being a victim of her own ideals of beauty. She’s a contradiction to the essence of femininity. A modern day product of her surgeons scalpal, Charlotte is a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black. Media personalities have had a free reign of commentary for some time now, whilst the collective audiences have not had the means to instant reply. That is, until now. Social media is an accurate tool to assess the viability of a “celebrity”. Celebrities that dont fare too well in the true public sphere naturally react in such a defensive manner & it only aids those intent on their downfall. Charlotte was complicit in making this personal quarrel quite public & therefore fed the flames for her own benefit. It was a calculated decision but sadly for Charlotte it has backfired.
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It is never, ever appropriate for people to encourage someone to commit suicide. I know that Charlotte is no angel, but we can’t ignore that this went too far.
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But Charlotte herself has made death threats over twitter. Are you aware of this?
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But she puts her name to them!
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So that’s the difference? Really?
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Yes it is annonymous it is!
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So how do you feel about this article being posted anonymously?
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No I wasn’t aware, I’m sure there’s blame for both sides. If Charlotte gave death threats then she shouldn’t be excused. Rather than look at it as a tit-for-tat thing though I think it’s important that the whole subject of Internet bullying is discussed, and what rights people have so that it doesn’t take any more lives.
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This is a mere taste of Charlotte Dawson was capable of over social media…
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…
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….
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So, it can no longer be disputed. There are always two sides to every story.
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@Robyn: Death threats along with calls of suicide are clear signs of folks lacking the adequate skills of voicing their feelings. Such remarks are defensive by nature, off the cuff & should not to be given the light of day. How any successful person could willingly bear the weight of these pointless remarks whilst remaining focused on their greater goal is beyond me. Only self obsessed candidates would drive themselves into severe emotional distress by repeatedly re-reading the offending comments. Charlotte is a grown woman with admitted “daddy” issues & therefore should neglect to put her head on a public chopping block.
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Hi Benjamin,
Charlotte’s career is as a judge on Australia’s Next Top Model – that’s what she does.
So while Charlotte is commenting on these girls’ appearences: that’s what happens in the modelling world and in the TV show.
However.
Charlotte has never told one of the models to go and kill themselves.
What happened to Charlotte was awful, so awful, but to compare her work to Twitter is unfair and unjust.
And MM won’t have people victim blaming.
-Megan, MM Moderater/Intern
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I don’t think Benjamin is referring to comments Charlotte has made in the course of her work. She has made some pretty nasty comments on twitter that have nothing to do with her job on TV. She made a comment asking people to kill someone, supposedly as a joke. People have posted links below.
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Thanks for the reply Megan. I respect MM for engaging invalued feedback. I must invoke my right of reply however. Yes it’s true Charlotte is employed to provide critical insights, although this does not excuse her Diva antics in her greater life. Im also well aware of the requirements of the modelling world & enjoy the diversity that fashion spawns. Victim blaming is a serious charge & unless thorough research has been done on the recipients of Charlottes numerous “out there” tweets over the yrs, this matter cannot be assessed with all the facts in place. Has this website enquired into the possibility that some folks may feel that they have been victimised in the past & are infact the original victims? To state emphatically “MM wont have people victim blaming” is naive at best. To assert such, would be to take into account everyones feelings because victimisation is a very broad catchcry. Quite simply what we have here is a failure to communicate. It’s evident that MM is a close friend of Charlotte & hereby is using this webpage to support the current plight of their loved one. I dont begrudge MM for taking that stance. Loyalty is of upmost importance so you are to be commended. I look forward to posting on more diverse topics in future.
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You’re being way too eloquent for the circumstance, dear, did you get a lot of “bahahha he said “certainly”!! ” in primary school? so did I…… hugs. I like you.
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Charlotte engaged in serious cyber bullying herself when she tweeted that she would like someoneto kill some guy named brian (who must have been one of her critics) “please, please please”. Then said that people took it too seriously. A perfect analogy for this situation is that of the pretty,popular girl int he schoolyard who normally gets away with dishing out abuse to others then goes running to the principal as soon as she can’t handle the heat that people dish back to her. The fact that she is suddenly the pin up girl for people suffering cyber bullying is a joke and trivialises the issue.When two people got into a stoush on her twitter feed over the hanging comments she stalked the woman who was her critic (and that’s what is was) and contacted her employer to get her disciplined for comments made in her own time.
That’s harassment. Why has Charlotte not been charged for this? Oh that’s right because she’s the sweet, pretty girl in the playground and we’re all supposed to like her no matter what she does. I don’t begrudge Charlotte her looks or success in life but she is in no way innocent in this and she “jumped the shark” when she posted that pathetic picture of pills on twitter for attention……Having said that I hope she takes some time out after this incident to reassess what’s important and sort herself out.
If you don’t want to get into social media battles ont he internet then don’t seek them out which is exactly what she did.
Oh and this article was nauseating and conveniently didn’t mention Charlotte’s part in all of this. Poor form Mammia Mia.
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Beautifully said.
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and this kids is what happens when you think you’re better than the internet community and basically spit in the face of every anon.
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I googled Lucy Blunt as a commenter below suggested, and read a number of really mean posts made by Charlotte and Alex Perry to this young woman in 2009. I also remember Charlotte making lots of nasty comments about Tanya Zaetta on Twitter.
Charlotte seems to be a smart and capable woman, and women who stand out definitely get attacked on the internet. But it seems she has been guilty of similar behaviour herself. (Although probably to a lesser degree. I don’t think she ever created a mass campaign urging someone to kill themselves.)
People in the public eye should be shielded from much of what is said about them, for their own sanity. Like the old days when fan mail was vetted. The internet can be a harsh place.
Gee I wish we could all just get along…
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Charlotte Dawson is intelligent, witty, articulate, charming, charismatic and beautiful. But she has also been a bully and there’s no getting around it. Just because it is to a lesser degree, I will not categorise it as acceptable.
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It seems that Charlotte broke one of the cardinal rules of bullying – she engaged with the bullies and played their game by also engaging in bullying herself. And to post pictures of the handful of pills she so publically announced she was taking on twitter was very irresponsible, though she probably wasn’t rational at the time.
This off course doesn’t make her case any sadder and I wish Charlotte the best. But underlines the importance of responsible online behaviour from all sides, and the dangers of becoming addicted to these mediums
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Sending Charlotte love and light. No one deserves this and I hope that something can be done to make these hateful people accountable. Peoples lives are never a joke.
xoxo
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Trolls such as those who have tormented Charlotte Dawson are cowards. If they have a shred of integrity, they will make their identities known and be willing to stand up publicly, using their real identity, and discuss the comments they have made.
Charlotte, remember that for the comment of every cowardly troll, there are hundreds of people who condemn what they have done and are behind you 100%
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I am so disappointed in our fellow humans who think it’s acceptable to tell someone to ‘kill themselves’. When so many lives are shattered by suicide and so much money spent on prevention, for people to think these throwaway comments are OK, makes me really sad. I have never heard someone say that face-to-face or over the phone, so why saying over Twitter is OK in their minds…. it brings a tear to my eye that people could be so heartless. My mind boggles.
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Could you please enlighten us as to how the death threats the Charlotte Dawson has made in the past differ to the ones levelled at her?
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I agree that Charlotte has made some pretty nasty comments but I think they are different to the ones she’s received in the last few days. Her comments were mean but I don’t think they would have frightened people much. You could just put her comments down to her being a not particularly nice person. The comments asking her to kill herself are much more intense.
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Agreed, they are more intense. But I wonder how intense they would have been if charlotte hadn’t replied and baited them repeatedly for a 7 to 8 hour period?
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Reading through this mornings comments it appears there are a number of people disgruntled that this story is getting more attention than some other ‘more important’ events that have occurred in the last few days
I think you need to look beyond the celebrity figure at the fore front of it and look at what the real issue is. Cyber bullying is real, it is terrifying and more importantly it is affecting a lot of kids and teenagers who aren’t necessarily as well equipped to deal with it
This is a real problem, it doesn’t need to be any more or less important than anything else that has occurred, but I think if this incident can lead to some serious examination of cyber bullying in general then that can only be a positive thing
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Great comment. So very true. There are kids struggling with this every day who feel like they just cannot escape the 24-hour stream of abuse they cop.
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Putting Charlotte in the same category as CHILDREN who are mercilessly bullied and tormented online for things that are out of their control, like having braces or red hair, is absurd.
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Charlotte – we back you 100%!! Can’t believe these senseless trolls can get away with it. It’s bullying and it’s got to stop.
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Yes well when Charlotte stops bullying people on Twitter, FB et al and stops asking her friends to “kill” people, then I’d suggest that others will also stop.
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On a lighter note there are reports from Police that they will investigate what exactly has gone on. If this case can finally put a stop to cyber bullying it would be great. At least then young people would think twice about spewing venom and causing so much harm to our kids. Everything happens for a reason.
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I don’t think this case would stop cyber bullying :/
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how insulting to delete my comment about my sister who committed suicide after suffering severe depression. I said nothing offensive or delete worthy . was it because I said I know the difference between severe depression and what Charlotte did. If so, I stand by my comment.
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What a terrible loss.
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My greatest sympathies to you and yours, pp. Suicide is a dark and lonely road.
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Wow. Mass deletion of contrary opinions. Viva La Fascism!
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It was made very clear on the post that offensive comments, in any way, will be deleted.
This is an awful event and MM will not be tolerating trolls of any nature – and whether that is directed at Charlotte or the MM team.
You are most welcome to have an opinion but please express it in a nice and friendly way.
-Megan, MM Moderater/Intern
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Many of the comments were simply expressing a difference of opinion, and were done so in a respectful way. Others questioned this sites integrity following this biased report, again, in a reasonable way. Is questioning the validity of the “article” against the rules?
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This is a sensitive subject, particularly at the moment and if you are not able to appreciate why then you may be missing a sensitivity chip.
We make no apologies for being protective of someone on great distress who is currently in hospital.
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So it wasn’t an issue with the spam filters?
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Ding ding ding!
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Where was the “sensitivity” chip of MM when a decision was made to run this story? If you are genuinely concerned for Charlotte’s welfare, why even cover it?
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That is a ridiculous excuse, Mamamia. You cannot everyone as a ‘troll’ simply because they do not share your view.
You’ve lost my readership.
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So you’ve changed the story already?
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This was my comment that got deleted before… I would be interested in hearing from the team, before it is deleted again. Please let me know what made it delete-worthy, so I can be sure to not make the same mistakes again in future comments. I obviously need step by step instructions on exactly how I should word my distress, frustration and displeasure with what I perceive to be poorly researched and articulated articles. If such frustrations are not actually allowed to be submitted, could you just give us a heads up… it would save people a lot of time…
“No story ever has pointed out to me more, the journalistic failings of this website’s team. I know it’s really more of an opinion piece and I realise it’s not meant to be in the running for Investigative Journalism Piece of the Year for the Entire World…but still, even opinion pieces should be accurate. Instead they fly off and write an emotionally charged response to a situation without being aware/claiming to be unaware/deliberately choosing to leave information out and present it as fact. It’s irresponsible. People BELIEVE the stuff they read on here. I have never seen anyone from the writing team, respond in a reflective and enlightened way when questioned by the readers. (actually except for that male contributor who wrote about childcare and then had the maturity and open mindedness to reflect and admit he should have written something better). It seems that the only reflection done around here, is to just reflect on how right they are and how wrong, unenlightened and stupid everyone else is. It’s really getting old.”
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We’re not too sure where your other comment went – the spam filters are going crazy!
Thanks for your feedback.
-Megan, MM Moderater/Intern
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Spam filters!? Are you seriously blaming the spam filters for the mass deletions? Theses spam filters of yours have a very specific taste.
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No, I’m not blaming them for deleting however I asked around the team and no-one deleted your comment.
So that’s the only explanation.
But your comment is up now – so it’s all good.
-Megan, MM Moderater/Intern
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No, it is not the only explanation, it’s the only explanation you’re giving me.
It’s not “all good” as you put it, dozens and dozens of comments were deleted. They appear to be the ones with a contrary opinion to the ideas put forth in the story, or ones that question this sites integrity.
How curious!
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Hang on, anonymous is not me. (but thanks anonymous)
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Spare us the conspiracy theories. We’ve posted many times over the past few weeks about spam problems.
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It’s not a conspiracy if it’s true my dear. Popular opinion was turning and you didn’t like it. Simple.
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The only time there have been ‘spam problems’ en mass have been on articles where your readership have disagreed with the writer. This one and the Wikileaks/Assange one, for example.
Mmmm..strange coincidence there. @-@
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I believe I replied by pointing out how hypocritical it was to decry the “anonymous” trolls, then author this article under the “Mamamia Team” banner.
I then pointed out that it was THE EXACT SAME THING!
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Hi Anonymous
The Mamamia Team banner isn’t the same as being anonymous at all. It’s simply a label we use when more than one of us has contributed to an article. We’re putting the good name of this website to a piece, so we’re certainly not shying away from owning its contents.
Jamila
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Fair enough.
So what are the names of the people that contributed to the article?
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You know that there are 4 people who work in the writing team – do you want their home addresses as well?
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Like how Charlotte Dawson had the personal details of complete stranger?
No, I’d be satisfied with the names of those that contributed to the article.
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If you’re talking about the Monash Uni lady:
It’s been well-documented that Charlotte found the details of that initial troll via the woman’s Twitter account.
She’d posted a photo of her business card to another Twitter user and Charlotte found it.
…And if you’re not: my mistake!
-Megan, MM Moderater/Intern
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Um, yes, like I said admin, Charlotte Dawson had the details of a complete stranger.
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Are you really curious as to why I’m so ‘hostile’ or are you just bored and being a troll ‘Anon’??
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Please don’t comment on behalf of other people. It’s presumptuous and insulting.
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I personally found those two (since deleted or eaten by the dreaded “spam-filter-monster” ) comments very sweet
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Clarinette, the spam filter is not responsible for your comments not appearing. They are being deleted.
As you may have noticed, your comments on other posts remain.
Can I suggest you step away from the computer at this stage and leave this particular story alone.
Your views and your method of communicating them on this post are not something we wish to publish.
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The comments this person was refering to were not mine, sadly
As to your suggestion, I will have to politely decline. I am well aware of the fact that my comments are being deleted, since second degree is not your forte I’ll go with first degree: I am doing this on purpose, too. You may want to remain in denial, but the entire population of Australia doesn’t have to.
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You are a bully. You are deleting comments because someone is trying to hold you accountable for the biased, uninformed, crap articles you submit as fact. As usual, when someone questions your research/favouritism/lack of actual writing skills just put your fingers in your ears and say blah blah blah. awesome.
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the only comment of mine they deleted was “benzodiazepine is not lethal”, on the picture page 2. How is that offensive, I wonder…..
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I have been digesting this ordeal overnight, trying to work out exactly how I feel about it.
I think that comments such as “don’t feed the trolls”, “log off” etc edge dangerously close to victim-blaming. In saying that, I would like to think that if I were in Charlotte’s position, I would have ignored it, blocked, moved on…
but really shouldn’t the message be “don’t troll!” rather than “don’t feed the trolls”?
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