The mods are/Melbourne were sent a private message requesting that a news article about where a dance instructor sexually molests a underage girl.
The mods at r/Melbourne decide to post the entire private message publicly.
Piece from the news article:
Judge Holding detailed how the victim believed the vodka Garnett gave her “contained a drug that incapacitated her” however said it could not be found beyond a reasonable doubt, as the schoolgirl was inexperienced with alcohol.
Mod post: https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/1uils6r/a_12minuteold_account_asked_us_to_remove_an_old/
The post that was asked to remove: https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/1mv9caf/dance_teacher_groper_sues_underage_victims_friend/
Dear r/melbourne Moderation Team,
I am writing to respectfully request that you review and consider removing the following post:
After carefully reviewing the subreddit rules, I believe this submission raises concerns under multiple community rules and would appreciate the moderation team's assessment.
Rule 7 – No Witch-hunts
This rule prohibits posts that target individuals or groups where the discussion may lead to harassment or the spread of personal information. The linked article prominently identifies a specific individual, and the discussion surrounding the post has the potential to encourage targeted harassment, abuse, or coordinated attacks. Regardless of whether the information originates from a mainstream news source, I believe the resulting discussion may conflict with the purpose of Rule 7, which is to prevent individuals from being targeted by the community.
Rule 6 – Be Respectful
The nature of this post has the potential to generate hostile, abusive, or malicious comments directed at an identifiable individual. I am concerned that the discussion may not remain civil, which is inconsistent with the expectation that users engage respectfully.
Rule 5 – No Hate Speech / Harassment
Although the article itself is not hate speech, discussions involving identifiable individuals can quickly lead to personal abuse, threats, harassment, or bullying. I ask that the moderation team consider whether allowing the post creates an environment contrary to the spirit of this rule.
Rule 11 – No Low Effort Posts
While the submission links to a news article, the discussion appears likely to focus primarily on attacking an individual rather than encouraging constructive discussion about issues affecting Melbourne. This may reduce the quality of discussion within the community.
My concern is not with the reporting itself, but with whether this particular submission is consistent with the subreddit rules intended to prevent harassment, witch-hunts, and uncivil discussion.
I respectfully request that the moderation team review this submission and determine whether it complies with the subreddit rules. If you find that it breaches Rule 7 or any other applicable rule, I kindly ask that you consider removing the post.
Thank you for your time, consideration, and the work you do in moderating the r/melbourne community.
Kind regards, William