Cartoon: Nothing's Off The Record
There's an interesting discussion on Ethan Zuckerman's blog over a New York Times journalist's blog post that names an Iranian blogger as a rumored collaborator with the regime in Tehran.
One key thread in that conversation: are the rules different for journalists - for instance, around repeating rumors - when they're blogging than when they're writing for the front page?
It's an interesting question... but it draws me of the broader question of what rules we follow and ethical lines we draw as social media types, journalists or not. One example: a lot of us do a lot of personal disclosure, and we sometimes drag the people in our lives along with us into the spotlight.
What are your rules? Is any conversation potential blog fodder, or have you drawn sharp, inviolable boundaries in your life?
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I think a common sense approach to privacy is a good guide. No? If in doubt leave it out, unless it is central to the theme - in that case, get creative, write a fiction to drive home the fact.
a) I am EXTREMELY skeptical that the great Hoder Derakhshan is assisting Iran's digital authorities.
b) You best belieeeve I'll be tumbling that comic (& linking back to this post, of course). Good shit, yo!
I think people still don't give such an authority to blogs as they do to convencional media, at least not in our country of Slovenia. That's just a shame.
Realistically, people don't give blogs as much authority as they do official newspapers and such. So IDK really.
http://AppUseful.com
a) I am EXTREMELY skeptical that the great Hoder Derakhshan is assisting Iran's digital authorities.
b) You best belieeeve I'll be tumbling that comic (& linking back to this post, of course). Good shit, yo!
Regarding your questions: I posted that sweet comic, and then applied for a job at a bar through a posting on Craiglist. My email address involves my domain. ie. I figure the person who receives my application email may look at the site, and yours is a cartoon that might scare them off.
In short, I'm still working out the rules. If I'm ever again financially-stable, or am ever adopted by John McCain, you better believe all rules will be out the window except one: Don't lie. You've gotta keep it straight online. Or you will get Screwed!
Thanks for the comments, all.
Pablo, I'd hate for one of my cartoons to come between you and your job. Would it help if the caption said something like, "You say my blog post about your previous visit has caused you to return, spurring a 25% increase in the restaurant's profits?"
Rajeev, there's a lot to be said for common sense. Unfortunately, "common" sense is anything but common - it varies so drastically among individuals, cultures, genders, ages, etc. that it isn't much help when conflicts arise over whether a blogger's behaviour is ethical.
Maya, for what it's worth, blogging's still struggling to be taken seriously in Canada too. Of course, as a cartoon blogger, I'm pretty sure I'm not helping. :)
One example: a lot of us do a lot of personal disclosure, and we sometimes drag the people in our lives along with us into the spotlight.
This is a very important and interesting question to address now. I think the nature of news might be changing. With Twitter and other media for fast transmission of news, and often rumors, it is not completely uncommon to first hear about breaking news from one of these media as opposed to one of the more established news sources. A lot of this new media also means that the original source of any given bit of information can become lost or might even start of anonymously.
For those you who had not heard, there was a lot of chatter over Techcrunch (a tech blog) revealing private information about Twitter that had been sent to them. The debate about this issue was heated and there were a lot of arguments on both sides that I heard. Some people felt what Techcrunch did was wrong since they were willing to expose what was essentially stolen information (though they had not been the ones to steal it themselves). On the other hand, I heard some people argue that "this is what news is". I think the bottom line with both journalism and blogging is that they both come down to information and how it is handled. When is it okay to publish private information/ is it ever? Assuming that private information, if revealed, could expose corruption or a scandal, would it then be okay?
I think the news is changing and that a lot of the newer media of its distribution (blogs, twitter, etc) are allowing for easier, faster, and more efficient transmission. That said, I think the ethics with which information in general is presented by individuals, should be constant. Ideally, I would hope that all bloggers, journalists and others stay honest in their presentation- presenting what they want, but making sure to note when and what they say is factual, and where this information came from.