Do Journalistic Rules Apply to Blogging?
Two of the job-related realities that I hated about being a newspaper reporter were that I never felt like I could leave the job behind, and because of that, I could never engage in a conversation without feeling tension. I’m starting to feel that way about blogging.
As a reporter, I would be walking down the street on my day off, when a siren would alert me to something happening nearby. I always had an internal tug between needing to have down-time and from feeling responsible for checking out the situation in case it was newsworthy and no other journalist would be there. Likewise, I had conversations outside of work with people who would say something that I knew would make an interesting story–if they would be willing to allow their comments to be published.
Just as IABC has its Code of Ethics, journalists abide by a common set of rules that go beyond the legal boundaries covered by libel law. Rules that guide the process of obtaining and publishing comments, facts and opinions–and crediting or protecting sources.
Do bloggers need to follow those same “rules”? If you blog, how do you select your topics and decide what comments are ok to use, and which are not?
The question came up unexpectedly for me during a recent conversation with an IABC colleague. She stopped talking about the subject at hand, and said that she was worried that what we were discussing would appear in my blog. I assured her that my journalism training would prohibit me from quoting someone who is not aware that the conversation is taking place in the context of a “reporter” (blogger) talking with a source.
Her concern bothered me, although I understood it. I flashed back to situations when friends or family members would say something like, “I’d better not read about this in your newspaper.” Yikes! Is it just that people don’t trust/understand “journalists,” or that we’ve done something to justify the lack of trust?
This is particularly dicey with bloggers, who often are more “citizen journalists” (or even hobbyists) rather than professional journalists protected by the First Amendment and legal rulings intended for the Fourth Estate.
I don’t find myself stepping back mentally from every conversation and thinking, “Hmm, is this a blog post?” But I do refrain from writing some posts because of the struggle between my joy of blogging and my desire to keep the confidence of friends and colleagues. How about you?
September 30th, 2005 at 1:16 pm
The first time I was told “I hope this doesn’t appear in your blog” was at a lunch earlier this year with a fellow professional communicator.
I was taken aback: the conversation until then had been trivial “catching up”. But I said “sure, of course I won’t blog this”, while thinking “because I’m not going to blog the other 1000 conversations I’ll have this week, either.”
Satisfied, the other party went into a monologue of gossip, hearsay, speculation, and insider information that I had no business knowing (which, let me admit weakness, is not the same as not wanting to know).
Later, speaking with a friend who had been at the lunch, I asked “I wonder why he asked me not to blog that stuff… does he really think I am so unethical?” To which she replied, “Yeah, because he’s a gossip, he assumes you are.”
Good point.
And the three times since that I’ve faced that request? Same thing… bean spilling by a gossip.
So I don’t think bloggers should trouble themselves terribly much when confronted with that request. Your real friends will never ask it. Your true confidantes don’t need to ask it. The only worried people are bean spillers afraid of being revealed.
October 1st, 2005 at 8:05 am
I wrote a long reply and then blew it away by accident.
Bottom line; it depends on whether the blog is some quality item, like this (14,000 members, 60 countries, pro communicators, etc.) or Uncle Bob’s Family Journal.
I now have sources asking me for agreement on guideleines — background, quaotable,not for attribution, etc. — in regard to what I wrtie here, in addition to what I write for O’Dwyer’s PR Daily, or for BAK’s Report, etc.
And, in the stuff I blew away, I mentioned the wisdom in not burning sources for minor stories.
BAK
October 1st, 2005 at 8:07 am
Oh, and while I’;m here writing about ethics… someone whose name I don;t know is spreading a story that I write inaccurately, using my post about Warren being the speaker at a $5000 conference as an example.
Anyone with an IQ equal to a shoe size can read in that thred that I got the facts rights; about $80us.
BAK
October 7th, 2005 at 7:43 am
I got thinking about the IABC Belgian blog today, and sent this journalism-related comment. Of course, I have no idea if it will get posted there. Magazines and newspapers and tv shows are topical and scheduled. Should blogs be?
And is North America different from Europe.
—–A question or two from North America: In Europe, is there any expectation that blogs are current, and have frequent, if not scheduled input, for the owner?
IABC members all over the world saw David Kistle scurry away from The Chairman’s Blog after he failed to keep it current, on topic, etc.
And is there any expectation in Europe that there’s a two-way, (or many more - way) communication in a blog, with the owner expected to anwer questions asked in the comments portion of the blog?
Weeks have gone by in this blog with no input from not only the owner, but pretty much anyone else.
But is that good enough in Europe? Are values that different from North America?
Or are blogs just a generally bad idea, and too much trouble for elected officials to maintain on behalf of their members, who are not interested anyway?
BAK —
The blog is at http://www.blog.iabc.be
Last posting by the organizer was September 20
October 7th, 2005 at 8:42 am
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October 7th, 2005 at 3:17 pm
Interesting question - from Brian who hasn’t updated his own site since Sep. 2. I can say that, because I haven’t updated mine, either.
If there IS an expecttion of frequency, then it tells me people are visiting the blog to look for new content, rather than relying on RSS to tell them about new content. Perhaps we’ll have to watch and see which model dominates, if either does.
I have bookmarked a few blogs, and I read them when I can. My setup here at my fulltime job does not suit the setup of RSS feeds just yet, so I don’t get to choose.
I’d be interested to hear which model others use and why.
October 21st, 2005 at 2:16 pm
[...] ve been meaning to write a follow-up to a post I published here last month titled, “Do Journalistic Rules Apply to Blogging?” [...]