Do Bloggers Need a Code of Ethics?
B.L. Ochman says bloggers need a code of ethics. I’ve always resisted this idea because blogging seems so…free. But I’ve always known that I’m subject to a “code laws” and would be liable for libeling someone. I’m not sure I’d trust other bloggers to craft a code of ethics, though.
Ethics aren’t rules or laws, of course, but who’d put together such a code? Lawyers? Business bloggers? Students? Homemakers? Would there be one code or several? My head spins just thinking about it…
The issue arises because of a big blog swarm last week. A Los Angeles Times reporter and blogger named Michael Hiltzik pseudonymously defended his own articles on blogs and attacked other bloggers on their blogs. That wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t pretended not to be Hiltzik.
The Pulitzer Prize-winner (!) was exposed by Patrick “Patterico” Frey, whose blog he frequently commented on. Here’s Patterico’s first post. It’s a beauty. After noticing a pattern, Patterico started digging. He has quite a few posts about the scandal, so I’d recommend you start with the proper category, Dog Trainer, and start with the earliest posts.
Very simple to track this guy down. I can’t believe Hiltzik was that dense. The Times suspended Hiltzik’s blog, and the blogosphere is having fun debating back and forth whether he should be fired.
In a recent post Patterico criticizes the New York Time’s coverage of the scandal.
JustOneMinute calls for “An Army of Hiltzik’s.” Don’t get the reference? See this post.
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April 25th, 2006 at 12:46 pm
I’ve been following this thing to some degree on Hugh Hewitt’s show and on Patterico’s site (along with the posts on Liebau’s and Seipp’s blogs) and like the Rather-gate affair, it’s both amusing and sad at the same time. The term used for this use of a fake identity is “sock-puppet” which adds to the humor and pathos of the situation.
I don’t know if Hiltzik should be fired or not, mainly because I have so much loathing for the entire main-stream news industry that in a sense I don’t care what they do. Hiltzik deserves to work for this “Goliath” and they deserve him if he’s going to be awarded for his sub-par work.
April 30th, 2006 at 4:13 am
I have just started working on blog. I am working on Bangladeshi literature. I think this article will be very helpful to new bloggers like me.
April 30th, 2006 at 4:43 am
In blogging people read articles of writers who they might not have seen that is why it is very much necessary that a good blogger be honest and straight.
May 3rd, 2006 at 6:32 am
I agree that the point of blogging is freedom of expression, and no matter what rules are developed, unscrupulous people will try to break them. If everyone on the net started being honest then half of Google’s staff would be redundant… I think the key is for individuals to differentiate between opinion and fact on blogs. For opinion, take it as it is, and for supposed facts simply validate them from other online sources.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:23 pm
several people have taken a stab at writing a blogger’s code of ethics.
my personal code of ethics for blogging is to tell the truth, link to my sources, and disclose my relationships to people, companies and services i cover on the blog.
B.L.
May 8th, 2006 at 4:54 pm
I agree with your personal code, B.L. In fact, I believe all business bloggers should adhere to such a code.