Comments being filtered

Has anyone else noticed that the main articles on this website now have their comments filtered? Why bother having comments at all if the authors of the articles don't want real comments?

Case in point was the recent article about needed GMO Potatoes. Here was my comments that never was posted:

Sounds like an article right out of the Monsanto PR department (Monsanto is the ONLY company to ever commercially produce a GMO Potato). It was not the "GMO Japanese Potato Chip" that sunk GMO potatoes. It was McDonalds and other fast food restaurants who were responding to US CONSUMERS who stated emphatically that they do not want Genetically Modified Potatoes in their food or french frys! Mc Donalds told their producers that they DO NOT want GMO potatoes. Thus ended the Monsanto GMO Potato commercial viability. What farmers wants a product he paid a premium for and can not sell?

The Growth of organic foods around the world should be proof positive that consumers do not want GMO foods. If true labeling were allowed in the USA of foods that contain GMO ingrediants, like in Europe, you would see virtually all GMO products disappear from the market. Instead we have bought off politicians in the USA who subscribe to the GMO industries ideas that consumers would be confused by the labeling. More likely they fear a repeat of the McDonalds incident and death of the GMO seed (profit) lines.

How about working to develop better potato hybrids using traditional hybrid techniques? They made a superior potato in England that OUTPREFORMED the GMO variety and it was done quite quickly.

So what gives with this site? Is it turning into solely a mouthpiece for the large seed/biotech companies to push their products?

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Permalink Reply by Paul Rusnak on February 23, 2012 at 4:16pm

Not sure what you are talking about, Matt. I went to the article in which you are referring to on GrowingProduce.com, not this site, and I see your comment -- in full -- at the bottom.

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Permalink Reply by Matt on February 23, 2012 at 4:36pm

It did not show up until quite a while after I posted. My comments were also slightly edited from what I submitted. So it is obvious that comments will not be posted as they are written and they review all comments before allowing them to be public.

This is a change from the way it used to work where you submitted your comment, were sent an e-mail to confirm it is you and not a robot, and then your comment appeared.

I have always dislike moderated comments. They aren't really comments then, they are rather cherry picked responses (which I should point out they edited my comments as well so they are not really my true comments).

I am not trying to pick a fight with anyone, I just want others to know that the comments you see on main storeies may not be what the person who commented actually said, nor will you necessarily see all of the comments submitted.

Johnny's selected seeds started doing this with their "reviews" of the different seeds they carry. Johnny's tries to put forth an image of catering to the natural side, etc. Yet, when I went looking for a new romain lettuce cultivar this year I found their Helvius variety. I did a little searching and found out that this variety has transgenic genes from it's parents. This is not disclosed anywhere in the product description, etc.

I wrote a "review" on the product to let people know that this variety had transgenic genes in it. Many growers choose to not plant transgenic crops. The review never showed up. I submitted it several times. I checked a few other of the new veggies they have listed and some of them also have transgenic genes. I think it is dishonest and wrong when companies censor legitimate comments about product, articles, etc.

As for Johnny's Seeds, I now double check the patents on ALL of the products I buy from them since they don't list whether a particular crop is transgenic or not. All you can rely on is USDA organic status to confirm not transgenic. I buy the bulk of my seed from Seedway and they are very upfront about what is transgenic GMO and what is not. I appreciate this as I can then make an informed decision.

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Permalink Reply by Greg on February 25, 2012 at 12:56pm

I have never noticed any censoring of my comments, and some of the discussions have become "interesting".

They also seem to appear just after I submitted them. I am not saying it doesn't happen, just saying I have not seen any of that stuff happening to any of my comments or responses, and I have made one or two.