The News Journal and the Bloggers
Today's News Journal editorials included this item about how anonymous bloggers could find themselves on the receiving end of libel suits, citing a Florida case:
I know that the news side of the operation (the two sides are seperate and ever shall be) reads the blogs. I have been told that the paper's political reporters have been given a short list of blogs to read so as to not be caught flat-footed. I don't have the list, but you can probably pick them out from among the links on the right. And no, they're not anonymous.
Dana of Delaware Watch isn't. Neither is Jason of Delawareliberal, Hube of Colossus of Rhodey, Dave of First State Politics, Mike of Down With Absolutes, Paul of Gazizza nor Nancy of The Delaware Way. I read these and quite a few other other Delaware blogs regularly.
And when I feel a headache coming on from all that public discourse (or shall I say discord), I head on over to Mike's Musings, where yesterday he asked the burning question, Did You Know That There is a Norwegian Alternative Rock Band Named "Delaware?"
No, but somehow I feel better with that knowledge. I wonder, how long it will take Spark to notice?
The free-for-all environment of Internet postings is evolving legally. It's likely to be only a matter of time before bloggers are no longer shielded by anonymity and are accountable for writings that unjustly damage their targets' reputations.The (unsigned) editorial left me wondering how many of the editorial board members actually read Delaware's bloggers, the best of whom do not hide behind anonymity.
I know that the news side of the operation (the two sides are seperate and ever shall be) reads the blogs. I have been told that the paper's political reporters have been given a short list of blogs to read so as to not be caught flat-footed. I don't have the list, but you can probably pick them out from among the links on the right. And no, they're not anonymous.
Dana of Delaware Watch isn't. Neither is Jason of Delawareliberal, Hube of Colossus of Rhodey, Dave of First State Politics, Mike of Down With Absolutes, Paul of Gazizza nor Nancy of The Delaware Way. I read these and quite a few other other Delaware blogs regularly.
And when I feel a headache coming on from all that public discourse (or shall I say discord), I head on over to Mike's Musings, where yesterday he asked the burning question, Did You Know That There is a Norwegian Alternative Rock Band Named "Delaware?"
No, but somehow I feel better with that knowledge. I wonder, how long it will take Spark to notice?
posted by Tom Noyes at 9:15 AM
4 Comments:
All the more reason to post through a secure proxy like Tor (easiest way to get on Tor is with TorPark.
Anonymity is a red herring. I read the same blogs and I don't see anything libelous coming from anonymous comments, apart from occasional comments that are from obvious crackpots and are quickly scorned and discredited. I see the known bloggers skirting libelous speech much more than the anonymous commenters.
Doug Williams is a Castle shill. I hope he does sue me so I can call him out in court.
Thanks, Tom. I try to keep a positive tone. If I get real quiet early in November, you'll know I'm hanging grimly onto my tongue.
DE bloggers are gong to have to stick together.
We are one hell of a bunch!!!
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