VOGUE Australia is defending claims it wants to play fashion’s “Big Brother” after editor Kirstie Clements revealed negative comments about advertisers are promptly deleted from their website, reports SMH.com.au.

Clements’ remarks have sparked industry debate and, in some cases, criticism among fashion bloggers and on New York Magazine‘s influential fashion blog “The Cut”.

The whole debacle started during the Melbourne Fashion Festival business seminar last week, revealing that when it came to negative remarks about advertisers on its website, “we knock them off,” reported Women’s Wear Daily.

Vogue.com.au editor Damien Woolnough has defended their online policies and says it’s not a form of censorship.

“There is vigorous forums debate, but we still do have to moderate the forums and it is not a matter of being ‘fashion’s Big Brother’, we are making it a safe place to debate issues and we look at posts when it comes to legal issues and defamation,” he said.

“A lot of advertisers online are made aware of the vigorous nature of the debates in the forums and yet it remains one of the most popular areas on vogue.com.au to advertise.”

Fashion journalist and blogger Patty Huntington says Vogue Australia runs the risk of alienating a vast and media savvy audience.

“It’s ridiculous of Vogue.com.au to censor comments,” said Huntington.

“It’s ludicrous in this whole era of social media and engaging with your audience but they have been doing it for a really long time and that’s the thing, if you censor comments then people who are making those comments are going to be doubly frustrated … and they are going to say it somewhere else.”

What do you think? Should forum users be able to post fair and honest opinion or should there always be a form of hand-holding involved?

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