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The Voice

[Editorial] Facebook meme page unacceptable, Voice encourages community to take action

%5BEditorial%5D+Facebook+meme+page+unacceptable%2C+Voice+encourages+community+to+take+action

[box type=”warning” align=”aligncenter” ]UPDATE 11/18 at 6:40pm: It appears the original Facebook page may be been deleted or shut down, but there is another copycat page which we would like to also report.  We are still encouraging you to contact the tip lines below if you know any information. [/box]

A Facebook page titled “L.I.T.H/Huntley Memes” appeared on the newsfeeds of Huntley students on Friday, Nov. 16. The page features a variety of photos of students from Consolidated School District 158 negatively depicted with offensive captions using the recently popular format of memes.

This page is cyber-bullying in its most obvious form. The Voice discourages students from liking the page on Facebook and encourages students, faculty, parents and community members to report this page to Facebook.

The anonymous administrators of page, using codenames Blaze, Satan, and Nova, have repeatedly acknowledged complaints with the page and continued to post more memes, insisting that it is their freedom of speech to operate the page. The Voice is a strong supporter of the First Amendment, but we believe this is a blatant abuse of this right.

According to the Facebook Safety team, there are dedicated staff members working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to handle the reports.

“Facebook does not tolerate bullying or harassment. We allow users to speak freely on matters of people of public interest, but take action on all reports of abusive behavior directed at private individuals,” states Facebook in its Community Standards.

If you know anything about the anonymous administrators of the page or any further details about this incident The Voice encourages you to report it to the district’s bullying tip form, tip line, 847-659-INFO (4636) or the Huntley Police Department’s tip line 847-515-5333.

If you were a student affected by the memes posted on this page and need to talk to someone you are encouraged the to call the McHenry County Crisis line, a free 24 hours program for McHenry County residents, at (800) 892-8900.

We recommend everyone on Facebook click the gear icon on the page and report it to Facebook. With numerous reports, we believe this will push this page to the top of the Facebook priority list so that the issue can be addressed as soon as possible.

 

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  • K

    Karen BulaNov 18, 2012 at 8:33 am

    Voice staff, I want to thank and applaud you on taking a stand and action against this issue. I had no idea this was occurring. I hope your editorial gets to the root of this injustice. Journalism at its best purpose.

    Ms. Bula

    Reply
  • P

    PerkyDirkyNov 18, 2012 at 1:05 am

    Great job! You’ve given the people who made that page exactly what they wanted: attention.

    *sigh*

    Reply
    • G

      GraceNov 19, 2012 at 11:04 am

      Yes. This articles gives the creators attention, but that is what journalism is for: to call attention to the problems and wrongs of a community so that there can be action to solve them. This editorial did not just say “hey look, there’s this crazy meme page!” It armed the reader with ways to get the page taken down. Whether attention is helpful or detrimental is entirely dependent on what the aim of the attention is, and I believe this article truly helped resolve the situation.

      Moral of the story: Good job guys, and keep up the good work.

      Reply
    • G

      GraceNov 19, 2012 at 11:05 am

      Yes. This article gives the creators attention, but that is what journalism is for: to call attention to the problems and wrongs of a community so that there can be action to solve them. This editorial did not just say “hey look, there’s this crazy meme page!” It armed the reader with ways to get the page taken down. Whether attention is helpful or detrimental is entirely dependent on what the aim of the attention is, and I believe this article truly helped resolve the situation.

      Moral of the story: Good job guys, and keep up the good work.

      Reply
    • S

      Sara LewisNov 19, 2012 at 5:16 pm

      It’s good when people speak out about things like this. It as to be reprimanded. They got the attention when people went on the site and contributed to it and liked it. Speaking out is completely different.

      Reply