Breaking down ethics, one blog at a time.

So we are all aware of the unspoken code of ethics we all as individuals are to live by. We are to live, laugh, and love as much as we can and we are never to lie, deceive, or cheat. These rules go without saying when talking about every day life. But what about when it comes to the online world or shall I say “blogosphere?” Should the online world adopt a SPJ or PRSA code of ethics which creates guidelines for bloggers to follow in order to form some sort of control over what is being written? Or are we taking it one step to far and placing control over something that was never out of control in the first place? I do not believe the blogosphere needs an online code of ethics to perform to its full capability.

In order to be seen as a credible source, bloggers actually have to be credible. They need to deliver information in an honest manner in order to gain a following. A blogger who writes deceptively and/or one-sided will live a very short online life in terms of readership. Not only do we want voice to come through in a blogger’s work to intrigue us, but we also want fact. According to a recent post I read on cyberjournalist.net they said that “integrity is the cornerstone of credibility” and designed a modified version of the SPJ code of ethics and created guidelines in which bloggers should follow in order to be credible, because as we know, not all bloggers are journalists so therefore the same code of ethics should not be all encompassing.

So as I mentioned, most bloggers who are writing in the hopes of being read not only want to but actually need to seen by their readers as credible in order to gain a following. In reality then, a code of ethics already exists amongst the blogosphere. We trust that the bloggers in which we are familiar with will convey truth in their work and it is rather easy for us as the readers to decipher the real vs. the phonies amongst bloggers. Truth and justice already exist in the online world, so why would we need the government coming down and slapping a code of ethics on something that was never unethical to begin with?