Should bloggers be held to the same code of ethics as professional journalists?

Yes

by Doreen Martel

Created on: February 26, 2011

Ethics are a funny thing - defined by Findlaw.com ethics are "duties or conduct relating to moral action, motive or character.".  Sadly, everyone has their own motive for writing and not all people have the same character.  Some people who blog do so for the shock value, others blog in order to voice their opinions while still others blog only for the money that can be made.  There is of course no reasonable expectation that a blogger is doing any more than voicing their opinion.  However, this still begs the questions, bloggers be held to the same code of ethics as professional journalists? Here are some of the ways that bloggers and journalists are held to different codes of ethics.

The false headline

Unfortunately there are some things that a blogger can say that will immediately draw attention to their blog. For example, a blogger may promote the headline "President cheats on spouse". Because of the curiosity factor, it is highly likely that readers will flock to the headline.  Ultimately the post turns out to be a brief history of presidents who cheat on their spouse versus a story about the current president cheating on their spouse. This type of a headline would likely be removed from a newspaper, magazine or television news story, but bloggers are not governed by editors (or television ratings) and they likely will attract a lot of attention (and comments). 

Bloggers who promote these false headlines over time will likely gain traffic simply because the topics are "hot" or controversial.  This does not make it right, it is just a fact of the potential reader's desire to get a glimpse into something controversial.

The questionable story

Bloggers who are expressing an opinion should make it clear on their blogs that they are expressing an opinion. For example, bloggers who believe that retirement age should be raised to 70 should never offer this as a "fact" (e.g., retirement age is being raised to 70), instead, they should make it clear that they think that the age should be raised and why.

Attributing a statement to a politician or media figure as a way of promoting a blog lacks ethical credibility. Bloggers should be required to make it very clear that the quote (or lack thereof) is formed from their own opinion and that it is their "best guess" that this is their interpretation of what was said (versus having it come across as fact).

Summary

There is little doubt that both of the scenarios are extreme (though they both have occurred). However, bloggers who wish to be taken seriously must be held to a higher standard than the blogger who wishes to be noticed. To properly address the topic should bloggers be held to the same code of ethics as professional journalists it is critical to address one factor first: If the blogger wishes to be considered a professional, there must be a code of ethics they are willing to live up to that demands a level of accountability. Hobby bloggers should consider what they are writing carefully before hitting their "submit" button and ask themselves "what would be my opinion of this piece if I were to read it on another blog".

The Federal Trade Commission recently passed a ruling stating that if a blogger received goods or services in return for a review that it must be accurately reported with the review.  Bloggers who want to gain the respect of the public and of others who write should be required to uphold a standard code of ethics.

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