- The moderator of a viral subreddit has been removed amid fallout from a Fox News interview.
- The group was made private on Wednesday, prompting claims of censorship. It is now public again.
- r/antiwork's membership soared during the pandemic but there are concerns that it's misportrayed.
The moderator at the center of a row over an "anti-work" subreddit has been removed from the group following a backlash over a Fox News interview on Monday.
Doreen Ford, u/abolishwork has been removed while other moderators have stepped down, a statement posted in the channel said. It follows fallout after a recent live interview that Ford, who has spoken to the media multiple times, gave to Fox News.
Members of the sub were unhappy with how the interview, which was broadcast on Jesse Watters Primetime show, portrayed the community. They voiced their concerns in the channel, following the broadcast.
Shortly afterwards, the group was made temporarily private, leading to outcry that members were being censored. The post on the landing page said that the temporary measure was to deal with widespread brigading against the community. Ford was also subjected to transphobic abuse, which was condemned by other users.
The subreddit's membership is now public again, AbolishWork has been removed, and other moderators have stepped down.
"Your rage is justified — there are no excuses for the grossly negligent and tone-deaf behavior exhibited by our former mods," read a lengthy statement posted under a Restructuring and Recent Events heading. "We're continuing to address these issues and the resulting fallout and your comments, feedback, and advice are encouraged as we clean the house."
It said that any links leading to AbolishWork had also been removed. The statement noted that the moderators who remained did not explicitly condone the interview.
Ford previously defended her appearance on the show, per The Independent. "I had done interviews before but never live and I underestimated how different it was. I won't be making that mistake again," she wrote.
Insider was unable to reach Ford for comment.
How the group is portrayed matters to members
r/antiwork has garnered increasing attention over recent months after its membership surged to 1.7 million during the pandemic. Members use the sub to discuss their experience at work and share advice and accounts of bad bosses.
It's often portrayed as some sort of organized "antiwork movement" that is promoting a general rejection of work and desire to do nothing. In reality, the subreddit represents a loosely defined internet community discussing the world of work.
While some members prescribe to a more anarchic approach, many members work in minimum-wage, low-paid jobs and use the platform as a way to seek advice about their situation, and advocate for better working conditions.
The misconception matters, some members say, because it makes the idea of work reform easier to dismiss. It also detracts from the broader message that people shouldn't be forced to toil long hours, with low pay and in poor conditions, they say.
In posts, some users suggest that "anti-labor" is a better way to describe the subreddit's philosophy.
In response to the temporary privatization on Wednesday, Redditors flocked to a new subreddit r/WorkReform. At the time of writing the sub had gained hundred of thousands members within two days.