The Ethics of Blogging

Having been through two masters degree programs (librarianship and public administration), I've observed that the real purpose of grad school is not to teach the student a specific skill set (although you get that, too), but to inculcate him/her with a specific set of values. For example, in library school one learns to cherish intellectual freedom and open access for everyone. In an MPA program, one learns to embrace the bureaucratic model of institutional organization (I don't know how many essays I had to write defending it) and to "avoid not only impropriety, but even the appearance of impropriety" (one wishes more public administrators and elected officials would actually follow that one).

It's too bad that there's no masters degree in blogging yet, because that would ensure the adoption of certain ethical standards for bloggers. Right now, there are no such standards, and some even argue that there shouldn't be. Blogging is like having a conversation, says one prominent blogger (from Harvard, no less), "and you can't develop a code of ethics for conversations...a conversation with your best friend would become stilted and alienating."

I don't agree. In the first place, although it has become increasingly common, the analogy between blogging and having a conversation doesn't really work. Blogging is more like posting your diary on a bulletin board and having other people read it and (sometimes) write in the margins and sometimes comment on your writings in their own diaries (and then putting their diaries where you can see them). Words in print have more impact than spoken words, and, as with e-mail, when you write in a blog, you don't have the benefit of facial expressions and other non-verbal clues to help you get your message across. There's no written (i.e. permanent) record of private conversations, and most are not newsworthy, influential or of any concern to anyone outside the participants. Blogs, on the other hand, are written documents that are accessible to a wide audience and although most are not newsworthy or influential, some are both.

Secondly, even if you do concede that blogging is like a conversation, that doesn't eliminate ethical considerations. In other words, there is an ethical component to ordinary conversations as well. This component is often called etiquette, but there's more to it than that word implies. You generally don't stare over the speaker's shoulder, reply with a non-sequitur, use inappropriate language, interrupt while another is speaking, or gratuitously insult the speaker. You also agree with the speaker when you can, point out where you can't, and correct yourself when you're wrong. Usually, also, if you have a particular bias on a subject, you reveal it during the course of the conversation.

The CyberJournalist.net web site has published a "Bloggers' Code of Ethics" based on the code of ethics of The Society of Professional Journalists. To see the whole thing, including examples, follow the link below (under "Link"). The code can be summarized in three principles:

1. Be honest and fair


2. Minimize harm


3. Be accountable

In particular, in the blogging world, it is important to cite your sources, to label questionable information as questionable and to let your readers know if you are getting compensation for advocating a certain position or promoting a particular product (remember the "Raging Cow" controversy of 2003?).

Lately, there have been a number of instances of employees getting fired for writing unfavorably (or even just revealingly) about the companies they work for. For example, a recent Google new hire became a new fire after less than a month because he shared workplace gossip in his blog. The former self-proclaimed "Queen of the Sky," a flight attendant for Delta Airlines, was canned for similarly telling tales out of school. She's fighting back, claiming that she's protected under the First Amendment, but legal experts don't think the "Queen" has much of a chance of emerging victorious. "People mistakenly believe that the First Amendment protects them in the workplace, which is generally not the case," said one. Both the former Googler and the deposed "Queen" might have done well to take to heart the following Will Richardson's Teacher Blogger Guidelines, reprinted in Tame The Web and also summarized here:

1. Decide carefully if you want to create a public space for your ideas with your name on it.


2. When you write, assume it will be read by the very people you may not want to read it. Think about the consequences.


3. As much as possible, blog on your own time with your own equipment.


4. Tell the truth. If you can't, don't write. [on the other hand, I would add that if writing about work, just because something may be true doesn't mean that you should write about it. I'm guessing, but it probably wasn't the truth of their observations that got the erstwhile Googler and the overthrown "Queen" sacked.]


5. Ask people's permission before you write about them in your blog.


6. If you do use a blog for professional reflection or opinion...take the time to present those ideas well.


7. Start simple, and find your groove.


8. Again, if you decide to blog openly, don't try to hide that fact from peers or supervisors.


9. If you think people may have an issue with your blog, ask first, and make your decisions based on the feedback you get.


10. If you find yourself looking over your shoulder, don't blog.

[For more on bloggers being shown the door, see "Have a Blog, Lose Your Job?"]

Despite the documented cases of bloggers getting in trouble for their words, there are still those out there who don't think that formal statements of blog ethics are necessary. They argue that as blogging becomes more and more popular, certain ethical standards will automatically emerge (perhaps through negative examples) and will be adopted by anyone who wants his/her blog to be taken seriously. I think that if this really does happen, those standards will look a lot like those formally advocated by cyberjournalist.net.

Tags that go with this article: Ethics;Blogging