Blogging with Ethics

It's been a little over 2 years since my first blog post. Up to now, online behavior was self-regulatory. Indeed it was quite unheard of for any official (or even unofficial) guidelines for bloggers, who, unlike journalists, were mostly non-professionals who wrote as a means to reach out to society, rather than to put food on the table.

Of course, anything written on the Internet has great influence and power over society, whether or not there be any truth to the tale. In the hands of the irresponsible, blogging can be a dangerous tool that can cause chaos and confusion. Not to mention frustration and confusion. Imagine, Googling for information, if you found 3 articles saying one thing, and 4 articles with conflicting views, what is the final conclusion? Or, how do you know that the one and only article that you read is true, if you don't counter-check against another source? Ultimately, this would defeat the purpose of the Internet as an information-rich source / learning tool.

Well, so far, there has been no official / un-official guidelines. As reported in The Star, In his recent blog post, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, recently called out to Malaysia bloggers to adopt a Code of Ethics that was derived from the Society of Professional Journalists. The actual derivative was modified by Cyberjournalist.net and was still pretty long, so the shortened 10-point version listed in the PM's post should be sufficiently clear for most of us. Excerpt from his site:-

Bloggers should:

• Be honest and fair in gathering, reporting and interpreting information

• Never plagiarize

• Identify and link to sources whenever feasible

• Never publish information they know is inaccurate - and if publishing questionable information, make it clear it's in doubt

• Distinguish between advocacy, commentary and factual information

• Admit mistakes and correct them promptly

• Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity

• Explain each blog's mission and invite dialogue with the public over its content and the bloggers' conduct

• Disclose conflicts of interest, affiliations, activities and personal agendas

• Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others

Well, that sound pretty good, and should serve as a backbone for all bloggers out there. Of course, blogging in entirely self-regulatory, so it's up to each individual to practice accordingly.

Of course, in blogging we should also remember to respect the privacy of individuals and not to disclose sensitive / P&C information that would compromise ones security / and leave one open to identity theft. There is a difference between being factually accurate and being "open sourced". Of course, respect the request to have any content removed if there is any valid reason to do so.

Having said that, I wish all fellow bloggers out there, good luck and keep on adding value to your followers and fan base! :)