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

by C. S. Gallagher

Created on: November 20, 2010

Blogs and news are two intrinsically different types of online media, just as bloggers and journalists are two very different types of correspondents. To hold a blogger to the same code of ethics as a journalist is absurd. The two are as different as night and day, and only the delivery is the same: the Internet.

Journalists are responsible for delivering the news in reports that are clear, accurate and neutral. As such, they are held to high standards of honesty and integrity. They should not compromise these standards for the sake of a good story. Fabricating facts and stretching truths will only harm the reputation of themselves and their fellow journalists. Furthermore, journalists are to report news in an unbiased fashion, stating only the facts and allowing readers to make their own conclusions and form their own opinions. Journalist report the news; they do not sway their readers towards their own viewpoints. That is the ideal, of course, and possibly not the true account of today’s popular journalism.

Blogs, on the other hand, are opinionated articles, and they are meant to let the blogger express their views on whatever subject they choose. Whether it be a personal diary, a how-to guide, or a pointed discussion on a hot topic, blogs are commentary and used to deliver the thoughts of the blogger.

Journalists, on the other hand, are held to the standards of unbiased reporting of newsworthy material. To try to hold bloggers to this standard would be incomprehensible. The blog is not about news. It’s about the personal experience and opinions of its author.

Blogging is something everyone is free to do. It does not require the same accountability, responsibility or adherence to a set code of ethics as journalism. It can all be broken down into simple terms. Journalists deliver the news, and bloggers present their personal thoughts.

Journalists are not bloggers. They would not surrender journalistic integrity to persuade readers to support their views, just as bloggers may be unwilling to relinquish their personal message for impartial accounts. Journalism is about truth, and blogging is about perceptions.

Journalists report the news of the world; bloggers express their views of the world. There is no need to hold bloggers to the same standard or code of ethics as journalists because the two are fundamentally different. It’s the First Amendment right to freedom of expression, and bloggers are free to practice this right. To hold a blogger to a code of ethics meant for professional journalists would deny them of the freedom to express personal views and opinions.

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