Cyberprince Chronicles

Kuwait. March 9, 2003. 11:46pm.

CNN Correspondent Kevin Sites, makes his first post on his war blog, one that would chronicle his life as a reporter covering the war.

In the days to follow Sites would report from Iran, Kurdistan, and Northern Iraq detailing the struggles he and his colleagues experience during this coverage. He would tell of how he managed to get from place to place sharing insights from fellow journalists and posting photos showing what it was like to be living in these areas of conflict. It was an amazing read!

Unfortunately this blog lasted for only twelve days. Sites’ final post on March 21 explained that CNN had asked him to suspend his site. The reason wasn’t exactly clear but it is said that, “CNN News Standards and Practices Guide essentially says that you can’t do these things without approval.”

Several other news organizations followed suit.

Time Magazine pulled the plug on freelance war correspondent Joshua Kucera’s blog just four days after the CNN incident. Less than a month later Connecticut based newspaper Hartford Courant also ruled that former columnist turned travel editor Denis Horgan was no longer allowed to operate his online column. They cited that it created a “parallel journalistic universe” where he’d be able to do commentary without editing oversight by the paper.

Although these incidents all took place in another country two years ago it is very possible that it could happen anywhere else. In fact with more and more reporters embracing blogging as a means of voicing their own opinions, I can’t help but wonder if this could happen again very soon.

Several reporter friends have their own blogs and a loyal following to boot. Viewers who see them on television and are curious to find out more about them flock to their sites in the hundreds. The contents of these blogs vary from personal tidbits, to behind-the-scenes stories, to editorials on political and economic affairs.

It is the latter that bugs me. One of the strengths of my news organization is the foundation it has built on credibility and integrity. Our team works very hard to ensure that each report is accurate, well balanced, and free from opinion. What would become of us if this were somehow tarnished?

Reporter/Producer Howie Severino says that one of the great things about blogging is that it is an outlet for personal opinion without the constraints of mainstream journalism; there are no layers of editors and control. But when a reporter publishes opinions on his or her blog this allows for a perception of bias even if it is done outside the confines of being a reporter.

Political analyst, historian and writer Manuel Quezon IIIalso has identical views. He says that “if clearly explained, (a blog) can help the reporter have an outlet for opinion.” But he cautions, “you have to be careful, because a reporter, unlike an opinion writer, has to be free from biases.”

In order to prevent this from happening, CNN, Time Magazine and Hartford Courant decided to set precedents that include taking control over what their people can say or do even outside the workplace.

Similarly the New York Times in its Values and Practices handbook for News and Editorial Departments prohibits staff from engaging in acts that “might reasonably raise doubts about their ability, or the Time’s ability to function as neutral observers in covering the news.”

On the other hand a recent article published by Wired News suggests, “the so-called idea of objective journalists may be misguided.” It goes on to say that even though reporters express their own opinions, their reporting does not have to branded as biased.

Over the last three days I have given this matter much thought weighing in its’ pros and cons and have found that it is not a matter of debate but of compromise.

I believe that reporters, just like the rest of us, have a right to express their opinions via a weblog or online journal. However, as much as a reporter is an individual, he or she is also a personality whose main responsibility is to report the facts. Straight news and opinion just don’t go together. In his response to my inquiry on the matter, Manuel Quezon III also talked about the difficulty of distinguising a reporter as an individual who blogs from the reporter who happens to blog. It is difficult to separate both identies and the relation to a reporter’s particualr network. According to him unless a reporter’s blog is anonymous, “anything the blogger says will reflect on his profession and his network.”

Having said this employers also have every right to protect their own interests. News organizations have ethical manuals, codes of conduct that are imposed on employees. If an employer feels that a reporter’s blog violates any of these, the reporter doesn’t have much of a choice but to give up one or the other. Bottom line is that the company needs to protect against a.) the appearance of a conflict of interest, b.) the blog out scooping the company programs c.) the disclosure of privileged company information and d.) a blog post being attributed as the stand of the company.

For both ideas to coexist I believe that some sort of compromise is in order. First and foremost a reporter must understand what the job entails. As personalities who live in the public eye they are expected to adhere to certain standards even if this means sacrificing some personal liberties. I don’t think the solution is as extreme as shutting down a web log all together but perhaps one of restraint. With no editors, producers or legal experts to safeguard the contents of a blog post, the reporter must learn to apply the same standards expected of him/her on the job.

Some sites have taken the initiative to draft some standards to follow. For example, Cyberjournalists.net went ahead and published what it calls the Bloggers Code of Ethics which is patterned after the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. Key ideas expressed in this code are to be honest and fair, minimize harm, and be accountable. Writer/Columnist Ed Cone also published a list of practical ideas for maintaining both a weblog and a job in journalism. As a last recourse Cone suggests that if it all fails you can always write under a pseudonym.

News organizations are also advised to make clear their stand on this issue and others pertaining to the use of relatively new technologies. Guidelines about what their on cam talents can and can not say in their blogs should be drafted, discussed with those affected and then implemented. This is not necessarily censorship or a curtailment of the freedom of speech especially if doing so supports the greater good.

Another option would be for both to work together. Wouldn’t it be great to see the news organization host the journalists blog on the company’s website. Co-branding of the site will allow the reporter to reach a greater audience while at the same time ensuring that the company has a say in the final outcome of the report. Not to mention this also brings a value added feature to the website drawing more readership.

If you really think about it (believe me I have) blogs by reporters aren’t such a bad thing.

Inquirer Editor John Nery recognizes that as a blogger, he is responsible for the material he has access to, not everything can be used. But he also says that several things could prove useful to reporters who blog such as, “analysis of their material, attempts to understand all that material, or thoughts prompted by the material.”

Similarly Manuel Quezon III says that, “via a blog a reporter can help people by focusing on background information that either doesn’t make it into to the report, or which helps explain the report, which is limited in time.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 20th, 2005 at 11:33 am and is filed under Blogging, Editorial, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.