Dan Gillmor Wants Bloggers to Sign his Ethics Pledge... Will This Meme Never Die?

I hate to be churlish (well...), but the idea of a collective Ethics Pledge for Bloggers has reared its hoary head -- again. This time at the instigation of none other than Dan Gillmor. Writing at his Bayosphere effort, Gillmor urges bloggers to pledge to work in the interests of the community, be fair, be accurate... blah blah blah.

Jeff Jarvis rips the idea, saving me the trouble (Jarvis also saved our bacon by pooh-poohing Nick Denton's idea for a collective blogger ethics code, as I discussed in December). Among other points, Jarvis notes:

He requires us to promise to "work in the community interest." What community? What interest? Who's to say what the community interest is? I can only guarantee that I will post in my interest; whether I post in the community's interest, the community will have to decide.

He requires that I be "fair: I'm always listening to and taking account of other viewpoints." No, there are some viewpoints I will not take into account and not listen to. I won't listen to trolls I've put on my ignore list. I won't listen to terrorist sympathizers. I know that's not what Dan and company are asking with this, but others would. This is the issue with such a pledge: It's open to such varying interpretation: Someone will say gotcha, you didn't listen to people who hate America. And I will say: Damned straight, I won't.

Undaunted, Gillmor urges us to use Honor Tags. Even the estimable Steve Rubel climbs aboard.

Here at Desirable Roasted Coffee, we keep a pot of Ethics on the stove at all times, so we won't be signing any damned collective pledges or adding honor tags in the near future. No, ma'am!

Posted by Allan Jenkins on July 6, 2005 at 03:25 PM in Bizarre but Expected, Citizen Journalism, Ethics, Is Tedious in the House? | Permalink

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Comments

Honor Tags? We don't need no steenkin Honor Tags!

Posted by: david parmet | Jul 6, 2005 7:10:28 PM

Gosh, a requirement to be fair would blow away a substantial percentage of bloggers AND radio talk show hosts and print columnists and TV commentators. No one wants to see/read/hear FAIR; we want the cut and thrust of partisan debate. At least that's what one has to deduce from looking at the media in general.

Posted by: Tim Hicks | Jul 6, 2005 7:26:02 PM

Allan, our site's pledge has nothing to do with your site or any other blogger's site. I'm not asking you (or Jeff) to agree to anything, unless you come to Bayosphere and sign up to be a citizen journalist. That's when I'll ask for an agreement to do journalism in an honorable way.

Posted by: Dan Gillmor | Jul 6, 2005 8:41:32 PM

Dan, I understand the Pledge effort applies only to Bayosphere, but I am sure you are not unaware of your influence. When you call for a "Citizen Journalist" Honor Pledge, word gets around.

But is it necessary? Doesn't the community police itself so efficiently that pledges are superfluous? And what sanctions can you hope to bring to bear on an offender, and how can you sanction them? Wouldn't the readership be more efficient?

As for the "Honor Tags"... Good Lord, man, how are you going to police that?

Posted by: Allan Jenkins | Jul 6, 2005 11:07:48 PM

Yeah, Tim... that fair business would put us all out of business, cat-quick, wouldn't it?

The concept of "fair" writing just kills me. I read a lot of history: looking over at my shelves, I can see that I have placed Paul Johnson's History of the Modern World (1917-1980s) next to Eric Hobsbawm's Age of Extremes (1914-1991).

One subject, two historians, two stories.

Are they fair? Your opinion would have a lot to do with your social-political worldview.

But their conclusions are based on facts. And their conclusions are argued with respect.

Maybe that's what Dan & Co mean by "fair"; I don't know.

Posted by: Allan Jenkins | Jul 7, 2005 9:32:02 AM

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