Blogger Ethics...the medium is the massage

Marshall McLuhan once said, "the medium is the massage".

But here's the rub: Critics complain that Internet Bloggers are not being mindful of Professional Ethics.

For this reason alone, some say blogging is not much more than blabbing.

Has no merit.

For example, bona fide Journalists usually check their facts and verify sources.

Oftentimes, a tempting news bite is spun off onto the web with nary a thought of the consequence.

Are the perpetrators not aware that such conduct is not only unprofessional, but irresponsible and potentially harmful?

You bet your self-serving link!

To gossip is human.

What better way to rev it up the rumor mill than by deft post on a popular, well-travelled blogger site?

A main complaint?

Some of the Messiah's of the wide-band waves twist news flashes to suit their own purposes, often fanning the flames, and elevating the issues to controversial new heights.

No legitimate, self-respecting Journalist would have a hand in such things.

To others, the Internet is a handy tool to expound a philosophy, a political bent, or squarely put focus on a particular social issue.

A blog site is not unlike the "soap box" in Hyde Park (London, England) where public-speaking enthusiasts spout their views and offer up dire warnings about society's ills.

Those nefarious post-its hung anonymously on the web should be avoided like the plague, some assert.

From whence do they come, and what is their secret agenda?

The gossip mongers, and harbingers of doom, are daring darlings - yes; often tossing vitriolic spikes into the arena at whim - where courage be if face or identity tagged alongside their missive for the Citizens of the World to perceive?

Personally, if the source (I use this term loosely) is muddy, playin' hide-n-seek, or wrapped in smoke and mirrors - I am inclined to be cautious.

Marshall McLuhan astutely predicted without hesitation that we would fast become a global community ...more so, with the advent of the Internet Super Highway at our fingertips.

For this reason, the human race must act responsibly - each do his or her part - to honor freedom of speech, promote responsible action, and likewise, raise the consciousness on the planet.

What better place to start than the great intrusive World-Wide-Web