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

by Greg Reedy

Created on: July 09, 2009   Last Updated: July 10, 2009

Blogging is becoming more and more prevalent in the world of journalism with the emergence of the Internet and with that emergence needs to come a greater level of responsibility. There are bloggers that are already writing for established news sources and are doing a good job with that. If these bloggers can be responsible, blogging can be an effective tools for established media.

However, to gain credibility, bloggers needs to practice and show the same ethics that people in print and broadcast media do. If they don't do that, they won't gain any credibility and their viewpoints will be ignored. There's already a stereotype among mainstream media that bloggers are just people that are hiding behind a veil of anonymity, living in their parent's basement. While that's not true for everybody, you can get that impression with the way and style some of these people write with.

Bloggers have to use a responsible writing system for sure. I have read blogs that can't go more than three or four words without putting a curse word in. Those people don't deserve to be anywhere journalism and wouldn't last a day under a professional code of ethics.

Bloggers can get themselves in trouble with some of their actions. Basically, bloggers can stick to opinion and entertainment and be just fine with that. When bloggers that don't have that much news and journalism experience start to try and get breaking news stories, more often than not, that ends up being trouble and wrong.

Blogging is becoming another outlet of professional journalism and there are beat writers that have turned to their blogs. If these people want to write about sports and think they can provide commentary just as good or better than what is out there right now on these sports programs, then they better be ready to be held to those same standards that professional journalists are held to. Otherwise, blog about something else and leave the real reporting to the professionals.

Journalism is about responsible reporting and informing the public about the news of the day. Blogs can definitely be a tool for that and provide a fresh take and some lighter moments to that. I see at Yahoo! Blogs, the right way to be responsible and provide some quality insight and quality commentary. Even with that though, they have to be careful with what they say. One critically offensive remark or fact error can really damage the reputation of the blog and make people go somewhere else for what they want to see.

Overall, blogging is great and can provide different insights if done responsibility. If you want to be a sports blogger though, you better have good judgment and know when to be very critical and when to back off. The most important thing is to get the facts right.

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