I certainly enjoy reading and participating in blogs. But the case of Shirley Sherrod (former USDA official who was blackballed and forced into resigning by a misquote on this blog for her speech on her experiences in her work) was a clear example to me of how there is really no policing whatsoever over what gets said or how its portrayed. If the same quote had appeared in a newspaper where she was misquoted she would have been able to have some recourse – and you can be sure that somewhere along the line an editor would have questioned this sensationalist story. But for political reasons, a blogger took what she said out of context and got her to force to resign. The White House and the NAACP came down on her and all because of people using this online medium for their own selfish reasons and saying whatever they please, whether it’s the truth or not.
People are using social media tools for their own political or personal reasons without any gatekeeper. And I think the bigger problem comes in when children get involved. Kids have access to information and ways of portraying themselves online that we wouldn’t have even considered in our wildest dreams back when I was ten or eleven years old! These days children are committing suicide because of things that are said about them on blogs.
This is not something to be taken lightly. When we put something on a blog or post about a topic, we all have to take responsibility for the fact that it is not just you reading it, but that you’re putting it out there for the world to read and interpret. Have any of you had any problems with things said on blogs that have affected you?
#1 by Michelle Sieger on July 23, 2010 - 1:11 pm
I totally agree with every word you write here. If we don’t stand back and examine the far-reaching effects our written words, we may one day be eating the bitter taste of them – and surely others will. What goes around, comes around – so take care!!! Thanks for saying it like it is.
#2 by scone on July 23, 2010 - 1:37 pm
Apart from flame wars, no. But there have been incidents of predators, identity theft, fraud etc. as well as defamation, libel, and slander. OTOH there have been some bloggers who have been the subject of ‘cease and desist’ tactics to shut them up. I can easily imagine a type of SLAPP suit to intimidate bloggers. The internet is a sharp knife that cuts both ways.
#3 by DAwn on July 23, 2010 - 2:44 pm
The media misquotes, tells only part of a story, and shows their biases every single day. This is nothing new. The more surprising part of this story and bigger question is why Sherrod was fired w/out a full investigation of the incident.
#4 by Maria Killam on July 23, 2010 - 3:28 pm
I think the best policy is to never post on your blog something you wouldn’t want on a billboard or your mother to read. I have written a post or two when I was cranky but they never make my blog. I just feel better that I’ve written it and then delete it.
Gary Vaynerchuk says it best in this short video-http://tinyurl.com/la9awa
#5 by Emily A. Clark on July 23, 2010 - 5:24 pm
My husband and I were just talking about this subject last night. It’s really amazing how some people have created this (sometimes false) credibility for themselves through blogs, even YouTube.
#6 by Gary Nelling on July 26, 2010 - 5:40 pm
If any of you can spare 40 minutes to hear Shirley Sherrod’s full speech to the NAACP, you will hear an inspiring personal story about overcoming odds that matches any in black history. And her advocacy for work, savings, education, entrepreneurship, and racial harmony should sit well with any conservative. Her recommendation that blacks work for the Dept of Agriculture, where you can’t lose your job, rather than IN agriculture feeds an unfortunate stereotype, but her honesty and sincerity about helping ALL farmers is self-evident.
I can’t say the same for Andrew Breitbart, who has presented himself as calm and reasonable when he appears on news shows, but whose blog is angry and vitriolic. Apparently something different happens when he lets down his hair with HIS people vs. Ms Sherrod. So I believe he intentionally took her words out of context. I’ve seen propaganda and character assassination all my life where people believe the ends justifies the means. He and the White House both owe this lady an apology. I’m not surprised that she is reluctant to return to her job.
I’m glad we have these wonderful forms of internet communication, but they magnify distortions as well as accuracy. I guess I should be more careful making statements like this since I imagine it puts me on the bad side of both the right and left. – Gary
#7 by Christine Schwalm Design on July 26, 2010 - 9:45 pm
I actually heard an ad on the radio the other day for a company called “Reputation Defender” that monitors the internet for possible false information posted. I thought it seemed a little silly at first, but now I don’t feel that way. That said, you’ve got to love that someone saw this niche in the market and developed it. Yeah for entrepreneurs!