A photograph taken 250 miles above Earth failed a quality check on Reddit.
Imagine posting a picture made from the ISS, but it gets deleted, because it is too "blurry".
From Orbit To Outrage
Reddit has evolved into far more than a platform for discussing celebrities or favorite video games. Today, there is a subreddit for nearly every interest imaginable, no matter how small or niche. Even astronaut Don Pettit is active on the platform and recently shared a photograph he took from the International Space Station.
However, the image was briefly removed after a Reddit moderator deemed it too "blurry." While many subreddits enforce strict rules against low-quality images, users quickly pointed out that this particular photograph hardly fit that description.
I photographed this plane from the ISS
by u/astro_pettit in aviation
The decision sparked immediate backlash within the community. Reddit users demanded the photo be reinstated, which eventually happened after another moderator became aware of the situation. In a public statement, the moderator acknowledged the mistake:
“We brought some new people onto the mod team, and unfortunately there are some learning curves. I caught the issue and fixed it. Thanks to everyone who let me know that this happened.”
He added:
"I'd say the quality of the picture is pretty dang good considering that it's from about 250 miles away."
With the issue resolved, the pitchforks were put away. As quickly as the outrage had flared up, the comment section returned to what Reddit does best: obsessively debating which exact aircraft was visible in the photo. Still, the incident was far from isolated, marking yet another recent case of moderators overstepping their authority.
When Moderators Become The Story
Over the past few months, several incidents have highlighted questionable decisions made by Reddit moderators. In one case on the r/art subreddit, an artist was banned after using the term “printed.” In another incident, a moderator from the LivestreamFail subreddit promoted an alleged scam. When faced with criticism, the moderator reportedly demanded special treatment for Reddit moderators.
The issue has even reached beyond Reddit’s usual circles. Rapper A$AP Rocky became involved in a dispute with a moderator after one of his posts was removed for promoting his album.
At this point, a pattern of poor moderation judgment is hard to ignore. Reddit moderators are not meant to be celebrities, and they are not supposed to make headlines. Their role is to moderate discussions. Quiet, mostly invisible caretakers who ensure that communities function as intended.
When moderators themselves become the story, something has gone wrong. It may be worth taking a moment to pause and think twice before deleting the next post without a clear and reasonable justification.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
