Today, anyone can break a story and publish it to the world instantly. That doesn't mean they should nor does it mean their methods or their content mean anything. For those that still try to "practice" journalism and do so responsibly and ethically, this blog if for them.
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Journalethix
The irony of this post, which is partly critical of blogs, is that it is disseminated through, yes, a blog. Blogs and other forms of “citizen journalism” can be wonderful if used correctly. However, in a recent post on her blog for NPR entitled “When Blogging News Can Go Wrong” NPR Ombudsman Alicia C. Shepard bemoans the fact that bloggers are giving journalists a bad name by routinely printing rumors or not adhering to other ethical codes. Responses to her posts acknowledge the disastrous effects that rumor mongering can have—such as when posts on TechCrunch and Gawker about Apple buying Twitter (untrue) affected stocks that day.
But now, blogs and social networks are in the forefront of the news again, this time for their role in disseminating truth (we hope) in the Iranian election controversy. As government news outlets are shut down, the power of the Internet and citizen journalism is keeping this story and this important revolution alive.
For as much damage as poorly thought out blogs can cause, we should be thankful for the technology in cases like Iran; 20 years ago, this election would have been opened and closed in the same day. Now, there is at least hope that a democratic process will prevail.
Copyright David R. Norton 2009
