Blogging on the Brink: Time to Set Standards?
Are bloggers on the brink?
With an estimated 50 million blogs thriving or wavering on the Web, some recent headlines signal changes in the blogosphere: Blog and Beware…Blogger Jailed… Blogger Signs Off With Apology.
Do bloggers need to be regulated to be responsible?
“There’s this Wild West mentality where people think they can do anything on the Web and not be held liable,” says a Harvard legal expert.
Increasingly now, bloggers are being held liable. One blogger was ordered to pay $1.8 million to a Florida man he referred to in a post as “a failed lawyer.” Another blogger was slapped with a $129,794 judgment for falsely stating that a woman’s property was “haunted.”
When a food blog in Los Angeles recently ran an anonymous item accusing a wine bar of health code violations and serving inferior food, the bar’s owners forced an apology from the blogger for the unfounded report. The incident spurred other bloggers to devise a Food Blogger Code of Ethics, in an effort to get culinary blogs to adhere to ethical standards including fact-checking, plagiarism, and conflicts of interest.
“There comes some responsibility with the things you say,” said one of the Code authors. But many food bloggers shrugged off responsibility, saying, “I’m not a journalist, this doesn’t apply to me.”
With voluntary ethical efforts like the Food Code falling flat, many are wondering if the government can—or should—force bloggers to abide by mandated guidelines. Currently in the cross-hairs of the Federal Trade Commission are bloggers who often write glowingly about new products often without disclosing a freebie, a payment, or a business relationship with an advertiser or corporate supplier. The FTC says it will soon act to make traditional truth in advertising guidelines apply to bloggers, too.
“If you walk into a department store, you know the (sales) clerk is a clerk,” said an FTC assistant director. “Online, if you think that somebody is providing you with independent advice and…they have an economic motive for what they’re saying, that’s information a consumer should know.”
Tell us what you think: Should bloggers be mandated to follow a code of ethics or other guidelines? Can bloggers be responsible to self-police? How much control should the government have over what bloggers write?
Liberty Mutual is a sponsor at the BlogHer conference in Chicago on July 24 and 25, 2009. The Responsibility Project booth will be an open forum for bloggers and other attendees to come share their viewpoint on “responsible blogging” – either on camera or by filling out a survey. The video content of the interviews will be available after the conference on The Responsibility Project website at www.responsibilityproject.com/blogher.
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Very Interesting...
Normally, I read ‘blogs’ and most especially their ‘comments’, for entertainment. Primarily, because, since the Republican Party began their ‘Walter Mitty’ attack on Barak Obama, during the summer 2008 portion of the past presidential election, I had given up expecting to find any type of rationality, or common sense in any published or broadcast reports, editorials… It seems unbelievable to me, that any sane human being, with an IQ greater than 71 could even voice some of the allegations and accusations that have become standard policy for most of the ‘republican politicians’ in this country. But, when I discovered that real, everyday, practical people were believing this ‘bull’… I was not simply amazed, but disappointed. It was almost the ‘Ronald Reagan’ thing again, but in reverse. People were so desperate for hope, they believed whatever Reagan, or his people said and did. Only later did they begin to notice… things. Now, a latent fear, sort of a holdover from the pre- ‘Civil Rights’ days, is being played with, stimulated and finally nurtured by … And, people who should know better are falling for it. Unfortunately, the listen to the wild claims and voices, but ignore the sanity when someone of intelligence steps forward and , attempts calm the hysteria with ‘TRUTH’. hat nasty 4 letter word that so frightens the republicans and the talk shows and bylines which aid them. (unofficially of course.)
This blog began speaking of ethics, truth and responsibility in writing. I saw 1 response actually defending their right to write whatever they feel like telling people. Well, I believe the same thing, but if writing whatever we want is a defense against ethical writing, then our society has lost even more than I thought. And, just maybe, we all need to pay litte more attention to the moral lessons that, at least used to be taught, by our ministers, teachers and other religious leaders, or advisors. All religions, even atheistic dogma teaches that a certain moral standard is healthy and necessary for the proper function of a person, a family, community, society , a government, even a world. And, no, it is not the job of our government, here in the United States, to legislate morality to us the people. Unfortunately, as we have seen during September 11, the recent financial crisis, and those of us who remember the ‘Reagan’ years …
Their are people in this world who consider themselves good moral individuals an d say their prayers, are kind to animals, and pay their taxes ontime.
And, these same people, during the ‘Reagan’ years, tried to convince the world that’ the poor people in this country, eat at the shelters and ‘soup kitchens’ because we like the food. Today, their rationale is, ‘‘the foreign ‘illegal’ President Obama, is a communist and will destroy our ‘Democratic’ way of life, because, ‘he wants us to share the wealth, and guarantee a decent healthy life to our fellow citizens, that because of birth, race, economic standing or poor health are unable to guarantee those things for themselves. So, the republicans must be right. The man has to be a communist or crazy.
Comments like Sadane, and a few others here give me hope, but, is there time. Will enough people care, at least a little about the lives of their neighbors, the poor, the sick, the unemployed and the dispossessed.
What have we done to this once great, gret country. Surely, the american dream is fatally wounded.
A Vietnam Veteran
Comments like Sadane, and a few others here give me hope, but, is there time. Will enough people care, at least a little about the lives of their neighbors, the poor, the sick, the unemployed and the dispossessed.
Allen | 1 month, 1 week ago
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Where is The Dignity
I can understand your confusion.I am not only confused I am livid and decided to do something instead of being apathetic myself.I worked for years and when I need a safety net system I find it stripped to the bare bones now from the recession and so many years of dope feinds abusing the system as if it were an entitlement.I have taken on some personas: The Unknown Homeless Man and The Unknown Vagabond.I am writing under the internet name John Joebee Homeless in SF and I have so much to blog about about.I am now middleaged and I have years of experience yet somehow I feel pushed to the side and some of theses youngsters think I am through.I am determined to do the same thing I saw Irvin Goodwin do.That is open a functional shelter that works and is clean and safe.This was done by a HOMELESS black man.He saw the need and did not let the naysayers win.Yes you are correct to be confused so am I.There is so much wealth yet there is so much suffering.I just need a few people with resources to believe in dignity and respect for homeless disabled people and middle aged folks.That is the type of shelter I want to open.The one that tends to the needs of the less able,yet expects participation just like Irvin’s ..I somehow believe God will hook me up,after all I am doing it for the needs not the money.GOD HELP US
TimGiangiobbe | 1 month, 1 week ago
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Where is The Dignity
I can understand your confusion.I am not only confused I am livid and decided to do something instead of being apathetic myself.I worked for years and when I need a safety net system I find it stripped to the bare bones now from the recession and so many years of dope feinds abusing the system as if it were an entitlement.I have taken on some personas: The Unknown Homeless Man and The Unknown Vagabond.I am writing under the internet name John Joebee Homeless in SF and I have so much to blog about about.I am now middleaged and I have years of experience yet somehow I feel pushed to the side and some of theses youngsters think I am through.I am determined to do the same thing I saw Irvin Goodwin do.That is open a functional shelter that works and is clean and safe.This was done by a HOMELESS black man.He saw the need and did not let the naysayers win.Yes you are correct to be confused so am I.There is so much wealth yet there is so much suffering.I just need a few people with resources to believe in dignity and respect for homeless disabled people and middle aged folks.That is the type of shelter I want to open.The one that tends to the needs of the less able,yet expects participation just like Irvin’s ..I somehow believe God will hook me up,after all I am doing it for the needs not the money.GOD HELP US
TimGiangiobbe | 1 month, 1 week ago
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We the blue collar workers that are over 55
Honorable Jennifer Granholm
Governor, State of Michigan
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing MI 48909-7513
Dear Governor Granholm:
I am writing this letter to let you know that I think it is just great what you are doing for those who are losing their jobs from the ages 30 to 50. BUT what about us hard working people that worked from morning to night to give our kids the things we did not have. We raised three great kids and our last one is graduating from Eastern Michigan in April. I am a journeymen millwright and I have been with my company for 37 years. My company closed the doors about a mouth ago. I am a 56 year old man and I always thought I would retire from my place of work there. I am recovering from spinal surgery and I am on long term disability at this time. I don’t know if I will qualify for Social Security benefits. If I do not get my benefits that I have worked my whole life for, I will lose my small but nice little house and every thing else I have worked for. My wife works very hard and she also takes care of me. I have a10th grade education and am not very proud of that.
As of right now we are doing ok. I know that you get a lot of letters from us old blue collars workers, so if you could just find it in your heart to help us out just a little because we’re not lazy and we are certainly not stupid .We just want a little more help.
If you can ask our President for bail out money for banks and the auto industries, than how about asking our President for a little bit of that bail money for those hardworking 55 year olds who lost their jobs or can’t find work because of their age. We are that hard working minority that made this great state of Michigan. With that said, I ask that my Governor please do not give up on us.
Thank you for reading my letter.
A long time Michigan resident, I’m writing this to TV 2 New Becauce the Governor probly won’t read this.
Jimmy Mroz | 1 month, 1 week ago
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www.jpbeaty.blogspot.com
I do believe that those far left or right wing blogsshould be cencored they do nothing but make people angry
THE BEATY | 1 month ago
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sixx
i was watching the kardashians marathon. what was up with those crazy people who were fighting the kardashians like they were professionals. it was for charity for goodness sakes. charity…. i think those people were insecure about themselves, but how could they feel good (i don’t mean the kardashians) about themselves, it wasn’t like they were fighting professional fighters. it made them look weak, especially that man that fought the brother. and i think kim won that fight with that ….girl…kim came back strong and i think the judges were afraid the audiance would have thought they were favoring the kardashians. that segment bothered me so much. the way those people just wanted to hurt. but the kardashians pulled it off. God bless them.
Deborah A. Dorsey | 1 month ago
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