A lot of folks for years have been subject to what they read in the paper, hear on the radio, or see on television and have never really had the outlet to respond. Blogging is that outlet. Blogging allows well meaning folk to express their opinion (one of the tantamount facets of Freedom of Speech) and to do it how they feel best gets their message out. It's a cornerstone of a good democratic state.
And yes it is a part of the media (contrary to some who have tried to stymie this outlet) The media is an arm of any society that primarily seeks the truth and brings those in a position of some control to task for any indiscretion they may have been party to. Blogging is no different and should not be treated differently. If an individual taken to task in the media wishes to get comments dealt with in the media, the Broadcasting Standards Authority and other organisations that deal with such cases should be the first port of call for any supposed transgression.
So this brings us back to a recent case where a certain individual took a blogger to task and issued a suing suit over one blog where his sanity was called into question. Does he not believe that a blog is a media outlet and that it's not the blogger that should be sued but the outlet itself? I'm sure we've seen some newspaper reporters castigated not by the individual wronged, but by their own employer, who the offended individual approached for recompense.
So how do you then approach a blog operator for similar action? Ok yes you can, but that road is fraught with issues, especially the Freedom of Speech issue and blog companies will be very reluctant to have a blogger removed, especially if it draws people to that site and means more customers. Yes notoriety sells copy.
I think if you feel that a blogger has just cause to speak their mind, by all means offer that blogger your support. To those that have issues what is said in blogs,, you are no doubt in a position of some influence on that blogger, and you should grow a second (Elephant) skin and move on. No doubt your actions and reactions are seen as wrong by the larger society, so ignore those comments and move on. And make sure you do your job better so no one has just cause to add further comments.
Should enlighten a bit. Blogging is an instrument of the printed press much like Aunty Megs putting out the Weekly Knox Presbyterian Newsletter. The readership is by and large small and innocuous and very rarely is there anything printed that would raise eyebrows. But the power of the Blog is far greater than Aunty Megs Weekly. And that's down to two factors, the content of the blog and who deems it should receive wider readership, and secondly The Streisand Affect (Google it). The internet has the capacity to power a blog from say a 20 a day readership in most instances, to one that could receive hundreds, maybe thousands. That's the power of the new boy on the block in the Fourth Estate.
ReplyDeleteA blogger mostly writes for his or her own satisfaction and want, and generally that 20 or so readership are ardent fans of that persons writing and style. Topics vary too, which somewhat differentiates it from Newspapers where journos are often confined to specific topics. But like main stream media, a blogger can find him or herself the sudden recipient of mass attention through a post (or series of posts) that catches the attention of the general public, be it online, through the print, radio, or television media. And by that mere fact, blogging is definitely a part of the Fourth Estate and should be respected accordingly for that fact.
Most bloggers post what is on their mind. Some do it for notoriety and fame. But rest assured, it's not going away in a hurry.
I have just learned that Trade Me Bulletin Boards have been told Blogs are not allowed to be referred to, and also heard that posts of a commentary matter about some issues raised by some blogs have been deleted and members warned about posting again. Goebbels anyone?
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