[dropit_sphere]

>Out of curiosity, do you believe the NYTimes should have the right to censor its own comments section?

No, no I don't, not as a "comments section," anyway.

To an extent, NYT is riding on users' past experiences with uncensored comment sections in other contexts. It's the violation of expectations (both of commenters and readers) that grinds.

Were NYT to put up a disclaimer to the effect that "This is our damn site and we'll delete whatever we want," I think they'd actually get some respect for it. The ire comes because they want it both ways---they want the engagement metrics, without the freedom that engagement requires.

What's needed is a rule of law, such that users can predict beforehand what the outcome of an action will be.