Am I right in thinking the people I write for are incompetent?

In all of these cases, I logged in and deleted the comments/bad info/tweets myself, which they didn't like. Wait, you deleted comments without permission, and tweets posted by your editor? You deleted comments BY your editor? Regardless of the appropriateness of what your editors did or didn't do, please know that in my experience, this is not standard. This is Not Done. I tell you this not to chastise you, but to simply say that if you're hoping that if you wind up at a more "professional" place, they'll be okay with you overruling your editors about how social media is to be used, I think you will be disappointed. In fact, ironically, it is only at the bushiest-league outfits that I can imagine that being okay. That's editorial anarchy, and that's not how great content happens. So by all means, head off to somewhere better where you're happier, but don't do it because you think if you get to somewhere professional, they'll be cool with you saying things you don't like are bush league, or cool with you deleting your editor's tweets if you think they're stupid or wrongheaded. Most importantly: If you absolutely must follow the social-media life of your work (and I sympathize if you must), you will have to get a thicker skin, not necessarily about it bothering you (it may always bother you), but about feeling like you must take action. Whether the publication is bush-league or award-winning, there is no skill in internet writing more important than being able to tolerate people who are flatly, blatantly, unequivocally wrong walking off into the blue thinking for all time that they're right and that they really told you a thing or two and suffering no consequences, including public humiliation, for their utter wrongness. No matter where you wind up, that will be a constant. Live it, love it, buy the coaster, because it's forever. And it's okay, and you can keep going.

It does sound like they've done some clueless and disappointing things, but it also sounds like you've got the mistaken idea that someone else's wrongness makes it appropriate for you to get pissy. Obvious disrespect for the people you disagree with will never help you, no matter where you work. Aggression begets defensiveness and interrupts critical thinking. Maybe they are less than savvy about the kind of work you're doing, but it sounds like you're sorely lacking in professionalism when it comes to interpersonal relationships. It doesn't matter whether your anger is justified; angry email fights are not going to help you or the organization. When you're mad, go blow off steam somewhere, then deal with the problem constructively.

Move on, find another job. The thing is, even if every single detail you ever wrote is the exact truth plus your editors really are writing half-truths/untruths/total errors, they ARE your editors, it isn't YOUR website, and therefore there isn't an expectation that your bosses will check with you before they do something. This is pretty much the defination of a job: doing what someone pays you to do, THE WAY THEY WANT IT DONE..... this is true whether you're writing for someone else's website or stocking the shelves at a convienence store. If you work for someone, you do the job their way or you move on. And to be honest, your attitude towards your supervisors sounds awful; in just this short couple of paragraphs, you've called them incompetant, stupid, idiots, unprofessional, embarrassing, bush league, wrong, shitty, and said they don't know what they are doing. Plus you describe yourself as blunt and angry, you say you've gone off, and you seem to feel it's what? It's somehow professional OF YOU to be constantly arguing and complaining and calling your editors names? You need to learn to let things go --- once an article is out there, ignore it, it's out of your hands, it's gone: learn to forget it ever existed, it's in the past. Alternatively, get some anger management therapy if you intend to stick with this job for a while; otherwise, it's going to be better if you start looking for another job now, because there's only so much of this that any boss or supervisor will put up with before they fire you, excellent writing or not.

I'll say that "flipping out" at work under any circumstances is inappropriate. You sound very young. In the course of your career your higher-ups will do many, many things that you think are stupid. You must be calm, rational, and professional even when you disagree. Realize that there may be more in play than what you see/hear about. Politics, budget, and culture are the big ones. I used to manage a bunch of writers for a website and I would have immediately fired anyone who intentionally deleted comments or tweets. That's not your place. At all. If your editors choose to engage readers you think they shouldn't, that's really none of your business. You were paid to write an article, it belongs to the company, and they can do what they want with it. Too late now, but a better plan would have been to calmly approach your boss, explain your concerns, and present a solution where everyone wins. You'd get a lot more respect and maybe even what you want. Rethink your approach. What do you really want? What is the best way to get it? It's not having such obvious disgust with the organization or exchanging angry emails with your bosses.

I think we've covered that I need to maybe take a break before I respond to this stuff and pick my battles more wisely. But I'm interested if people really think what my editors are doing is a-OK. I just can't fathom what they are doing is actually acceptable anywhere. I have seen professional editors of real live books get embroiled in incredible internet drama (see: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Racefail). They continue to be employed as book editors. Whether their behavior is morally okay--who knows. But it happens. The Internet is far more wild west than you might think. People are far messier and more human. Well-connected, well-liked, and powerful people get away with a lot and continue to be able to find work. James Frey is still publishing, for example. You will be happier if you accept that you can't hold others to your own standards of behavior--that, in fact, doing so is impossible. The big problem here is that you're not even holding yourself to your own standards of behavior. Two wrongs don't make a right, to get elementary school about it. If you know that deleting comments is wrong and unprofessional, you need to not do it, instead of worrying about policing the behavior of others--especially others that are paying you. And that's part of the issue here. You labeled this "incompetentcoworkers," but they're not your coworkers. They're your bosses. But the wonderful thing about freelance work is that it's easy to stop working for someone. Disentangle, disengage. You won't win here, and you stand, instead, to make enemies. Find another site that's more copacetic with your own goals (or, again, create your own space--you are beyond qualified). Your life will be a million trillion times better for it. Not a lot of people have answered the question about how wrong it is Honestly, that's because it doesn't matter. You can't control them. You can only control yourself.

Your editors might have completely different goals than you do. Drumming up internet drama is a sure road to page views, especially twitter drama. I'm not sure why you think they owe you any loyalty, or why you're giving them yours. You're a content mill for them, a means to an end. I'd bet that they don't value your actual writing nearly as much as you think they do. You should really, really just start your own damn blog, with your own content moderation policy. If you're scared you'll no longer get some sort of comps for review, I can tell you that a professional wordpress theme (purchased for around $40 a year off some place like themeforest) and your own URL is usually all you need. If your audience really loves your writing as much as you say, they'll follow you and the freebies will, too. It doesn't sound like you're happy doing contract work for people you don't respect, and I don't think that's magically going to change any time soon. That being said, if you're a woman and they're dudes there's likely some gendered stuff compounding all of this--especially if they're labeling you as overemotional and irrational. But frankly, the benefits of this gig aren't worth sticking around and trying to institute change. Create your own space with its own appropriate level of discourse. You'll be much, much happier.

Bunch of basics: 1) People who know less than yourself will always at first act like they don't understand your demands/wishes/code of work ethic, etc.. They actually don't, is why. 2) So you need to take the time to meticulously tell them what the problem is. Professional interaction is a two-way thing, beginning with the part one does best: trying to interact with the other one. Blowing up about them not interacting with you works less well. 3) Thinking along the lines of "my employers should be grateful for what I do" is no good road to happiness, no matter who your employer is. Better is: "what am I getting out of this deal?" If the cons are more prominent than the pros, one should move on. I believe that Clueless Leader-type of people often react fairly well if Competent Coworker tries to explain what needs to be explained in a general we're-all-in-this-together-let's-make-it-great type of spirit. Nobody reacts well to a Prima Donna who gets a ballistic fit once a week about some Didn't-Do-That! stuff.

We're all idiots. Why should they be any different? (It's really a matter of degrees and context. You too, are undoubtedly an idiot about many things. I have lost count in my own case. ) That said.... You are being paid a pittance. You love what you are writing about. You have better ideas about how to run the infrastructure that surrounds your work. .... and most importantly..... YOU ARE WRITING CONTENT. Just wondering why you don't just set up your own structure and run it yourself? Find other folks who you can pay a pittance to write good content and give them the environment you crave. Might be a worthy approach and more satisfying, and just as good resume fodder. You're smart (obviously.) Computer stuff isn't that hard.

I don't really know how be amicable and put things gently when I am really angry. We can comment about appropriateness or about how to deal with your work environment, but the real problem is that your understanding of your situation is distorted by your anger. It's good for everyone (employers, readers, and you) that you care so much about your subject matter but caring is not the same thing as taking it personally. I would suggest that feeling misunderstood, surrounded by people who "don't get it", being the only one who can do what you do--these feelings did not originate with your current work. There may be truth to them, but their intensity says more about what you bring to the situation than what you find there. You need to figure out why this theme is such an important plot element in your life.