This is unbelievable…
Stoush over Chinese media ‘censorship’ in Skykiwi forum
A tribunal has found Chinese-media outlet Skykiwi did not discriminate against an Auckland forum user because of her political opinion when it deactivated her online blogging account.
May Moncur has been suspended from using the FML forum since 2021 when she wrote a message suggesting the forum’s moderation was akin to Chinese Cultural Revolution-era censorship.
The thread was removed and Skykiwi later froze her membership, preventing her posting further messages.
She took the company to the Human Rights Review Tribunal (HRRT), alleging Sky Media (trading as Skykiwi) was using ‘selective’ censorship and discrimination – as it allowed content about Western governments and politics.
The company maintained that its forum rules stated users should not make political posts, and many replies to Moncur’s post had “included extensive political discussions and content related to the Cultural Revolution”.
The repressive Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 70s aimed to enforce communist ideology and resulted in the censorship and purge of intellectuals and former leaders, leading to widespread persecution, social upheaval, and political instability.
Skykiwi said it had warned Moncur, who moved to New Zealand from China more than 20 years ago, several times about her posts.
The tribunal heard her final post criticised Skykiwi, saying New Zealand should not tolerate “cultural revolutionary style behaviour”. Her account was muted, with a warning a permanent ban would follow if she violated the forum’s rules again.
On the same day as Moncur’s critical post, an admin post appeared, alluding to ‘Boss Lady’ as ‘Like a moth to flame, Stirring noise across the forum’.
It finished: “Like a fly in the living room – I always try to guide it out. But if it refuses to leave, a single swat ends it. And even then, I find myself sighing, “Wasn’t it better to just say [sic] alive?” Alright, fine. Had I lived through the revolutionary era, I’d probably be the first to confess under pressure as a self-preserving traitor. And maybe that’s not so bad. Adapt to survive. Victory is what matters. Methods? Who cares. Heroes? Villains? It’s all blurred. After all, isn’t this a world where petty people reign?”
…Firstly – wow, what an insight into the sociopathic mind of SkyKiwi…
“Like a fly in the living room – I always try to guide it out. But if it refuses to leave, a single swat ends it. And even then, I find myself sighing, “Wasn’t it better to just say [sic] alive?” Alright, fine. Had I lived through the revolutionary era, I’d probably be the first to confess under pressure as a self-preserving traitor. And maybe that’s not so bad. Adapt to survive. Victory is what matters. Methods? Who cares. Heroes? Villains? It’s all blurred. After all, isn’t this a world where petty people reign?”
…secondly this is NZ, SkyKiwi operates in NZ, free speech is a fundamental part of a liberal progressive society, banning political speech is an anathema to democracy.
If SkyKiwi wants to operate in NZ, it has to play by our cultural rules.
We know that the Chinese Communist Party uses threats and intimidation of their diaspora to maintain control and allowing them to continue their censorship campaign runs counter to our values.
SkyKiwi should be forced to accept free speech as a basic social contract of being allowed to operate here.
This is New Zealand, not mainland China.
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Their blog, their rules. We might not agree with them but I have no issue with this decision. If May Moncur wants freedom to speak her mind then she can start her own forum.