Ethics

Did you know that political bloggers have opinions? It appears the major media <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/09/19/build/nation/55-bloggers.inc" target="_blank">did not know this</a> about bloggers. You only have to read a political blog for a few minutes and you know what their political leanings are. What I find funny is that this story makes a big deal about it like bloggers were trying to hide the fact. They also point out that the people who questioned the documents Dan Rather revealed have ties to Republicans. Duh, no surprise there to me.<br />n<!–more–><br />n<i>That revelation will likely fuel the suspicions of some Democrats that Republicans were behind a scheme to discredit CBS by supplying the network with fake documents.</i><br />n<br />nThis I find extremely humorous since <a href="http://www.nowherethoughts.net/sarpysam/archives/000574.html" target="_blank">I reported</a> on this a few days ago when i found it in a <b><u>humorous/satire</b></u> site. I'm sorry, I just have to laugh at this whole article. I'm sure a lot of bloggers will take some kind of exception to it, or agree that it's all a Republican plot, but to me it shows the nature of blogs, political one in particular. Partisan web sites that espouse their views and attract legions of devoted, mindless followers but that's what the major media is too. Just look at Fox News and CNN. Partisan news reporting services that espouse their viewpoint and have legions of devoted followers.<br />n<br />nThere is a standard for journalists and the stories they report.<br />n<br />n1.Seek truth and report it. "Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information."<br />n<br />n2.Minimize harm. "Ethical journalists should treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect."<br />n<br />n3.Act independently. "Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know."<br />n<br />n4.Be accountable. "Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other."<br />n<br />n<b><i><u>Surprise, there is no such standard for bloggers</b></u></i>. Anybody that thinks there is needs their heads examined. Really this is what the whole article is about. The major media reporting to the public that their is no common code of ethics for bloggers. As Gomer Pyle would say, "surprise, surprise, surprise." The only thing that's important to bloggers is to espouse their views and to get as many people to read it as possible. I guess the cat's out of the bag about blogger now and they are doomed, or are they? You decide.<br />n<br />n<b>Ethics is in origin the art of recommending to others the sacrifices required for cooperation with oneself. Bertrand Russell </b>


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