FanPost

Response to a recent FanPost

Good morning,

After careful deliberation, I have decided to remove a FanPost regarding allegations of things said by the editor of another Steelers fan site. I rarely remove posts of any kind on this site, and I do so with explanation because I believe in a level of transparency that shows you, the reader, I value all sides of a discussion and opinions of any nature.

First, let me say the FanPost section of Behind The Steel Curtain is a resource for fans to sound off in their own voice outside of the editorial control of site management. We encourage fan opinion, even of the more controversial topics.

I do, however, reserve the right to remove FanPosts deemed to be, through management's judgment, as being across the line of relevancy or anything libelous in nature. I didn't feel proper evidence was provided to show where those comments were made, and that essentially creates accusations of a personal nature.

The anonymous nature of the Internet leads, quite easily, to the false representation of others on a frequent basis. Upon viewing the comments, it seems reasonable to conclude the statement in question was made by someone else falsely representing the editor of that site.

BTSC and the aforementioned site compete in the same marketplace, likely for the same readers. We feel we do well in that space, and our editorial decisions are not affected by what another site chooses to do, say, believe or feel. We do not wish to allow BTSC to be the vehicle through which those sites can be denigrated. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and the opinions we wish to focus on here are those pertaining to the Pittsburgh Steelers' organization and the National Football League. We feel groundless accusations pertaining to significant social issues do not have a place on BTSC.

On that same topic, we do not use such language nor do we hold those beliefs, and we never will. We choose to let our work speak for us, and we aim to earn your readership through what we do, not what someone else does or fails to do.

I feel BTSC has strong working relationships with many other Steelers fan sites, their original work and commentary is often linked here and used for discussion of our own (a sign of respect and positive engagement in this business). While we do not have that relationship with every Steelers fan site - some through no choosing of our own - we have shown to be willing and friendly neighbors in the Blogosphere to anyone who wishes the reciprocate the same level of friendliness among colleagues.

We value and treasure your support as well as your criticism. I promise to continue to address any issues you may have, and produce content that fits within our general mission statement: "A level-headed news-discussion site with a sense of history and community."

It's an exciting time for Steeler Nation, we have loads of great content on the site with plenty more on the way, so we're going to focus on that, and hope you will do the same.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any issues or concerns. My email address is in my profile.

Thank you, and GO STEELERS!

Neal Coolong
Managing Editor, Behind The Steel Curtain

The opinions shared here are not those of the editorial staff of Behind the Steel Curtain or SB Nation. These posts are not approved in any way by the editorial staff of this web site.