'Wheel of Fortune' Jim Thornton: Pedophile Chat Room Organizer Speaks Out After Airplane Incident

The organizers of the online chat room for pedophiles that former "Wheel of Fortune" announcer Jim Thornton was seen using, resulting in his firing, are speaking out about the situation ... TMZ has learned.

The website, Lifeline.chat, became a major part of the controversy surrounding Thornton after we obtained photos showing him in the chat room during a May flight from North Carolina to Los Angeles.

As we previously reported, a fellow passenger photographed Thornton's laptop screen and alerted the flight crew about messages she believed were about children, prompting law enforcement to question him after the plane landed. Thornton was not arrested or charged.

The photos appeared to show Thornton spending nearly an hour on the site, with conversations visible on his screen that were associated with pedophilia.

Now, the website also released a statement claiming it was aware of the headlines going around but denied the site housed criminal activity -- adding "LifeLine exists precisely because the world is so incredibly hateful and punitive that minor-attracted people have no other means of support."

The statement continues to defend itself by saying ... "There is a severe risk of being reported to authorities simply for disclosing one's feelings."

Thornton's attorney has maintained he was attempting to access a suicide-prevention forum when he was inadvertently directed to the site. His lawyer has also denied that Thornton viewed, downloaded or possessed child pornography.

Sony Pictures Television ultimately fired Thornton following an internal investigation into the incident. He had been the announcer on "Wheel of Fortune" since 2011.