The past few weeks have brought a renewed call for a code of conduct for bloggers and people who choose to comment on blogger’s posts.
So a few bloggers – specifically Wikia’s Jimmy Wales and publisher/conference promoter Tim O’Reilly -- got together and are working on a voluntary code of ethics/conduct for bloggers and commenters. It’s in Wiki-format, so bloggers can collaborate and converse about it. Sierra said in a New York Times article she supports the effort.
When the O’Reilly code of conduct effort was just launching in late March, blogger Scott Karp wrote an interesting piece titled “Why Journalism Matters” that delves into the areas of online trust and responsibility. An excerpt:
Let me be clear — I am NOT saying that journalism is without faults and that journalists don’t make mistakes. I’m NOT saying that the practice of journalism doesn’t need to evolve in a networked online media world filled with “citizen journalists.” I’m not even saying that journalists didn’t make any of the same mistakes that bloggers did in covering this story. … What I AM saying is that without clear and consistent principles, there is no chance for trust, and without trust, you’ve got nothing — or worse still, the downside can exceed the upside.
NAA sparked a bit of a debate when we posted a message to the Digital Media Federation e-forum (you have to be a member to access the archives – sign up here!) about the best ways to handle comments online and the effects of community policing. It was a productive and interesting online conversation.
The ‘tag line’ for the Digital Edge blog is “Keep the Conversation Going.” That’s more important on some issues than it is on others, but on this issue, it’s imperative.