Thanks to Glenn of Hi. I'm black!, I found this entry about one blogger's dissatisfaction of being outed by a reporter:
Here's the thing: remember when I said yesterday my archives and images were going to be messed up because I was cleaning up? I lied. In reality I agreed to give an interview to a local reporter about blogging on the condition that my URL wasn't published. The reporter didn't follow through with our agreement, and my URL was published in a regional newspaper. Both my boss and my mother-in-law read the paper in question cover to cover every day. I panicked a bit. [Nicole: go fish]The basis of her complaint was that while there were personal details that she did not mind sharing with the world at large, they were not necessarily details that she wanted to share with her friends, relatives and employer. I can buy that.
In my interview, Paul asked, due to the honest nature of what I disclose about myself, if there was anything I wish I had not published, or something along those lines. I basically said I wasn't afraid of telling the truth about myself.
I am not sure I want everyone in my local area to read this blog. I live in a small town, and I really don't want my comments to become a forum for discussion of local issues. I have had some of my local friends who do read regularly ask me why I don't discuss local items more often. Well, mostly, I think it is because, except for those things I experience first hand, most of what I could discuss is based upon gossip, hearsay and the grapevine, and except for select locals, would be of very little interest to anyone unfamiliar with small town life in this small town in particular. I mean our weekly rag, and a rag it is, already reports on all the local car wrecks, who was arrested and convicted,* how much rainfall we received over the last week, some items about what is happening in the school, what the county commisioners are doing, and some other items. There are no editorials or letters to the editor, and I am pretty sure the majority of the people buy it to find the garage sale ads in the classifieds. I don't want to do local editorials on this blog, and I don't want to post letters to the editor. This blog is intended for the world audience. This blog is dedicated to the pursuit of the truth or whatever is funny, whichever comes first. If I wanted the URL of this blog to be reported in the newspaper, I could just buy an ad and publicize it.
*However, they never seem to report on the results of trials where someone is aquitted or on those cases in which the charges were subsequently dropped.
Posted by Tiger at August 22, 2003 10:28 AMYou put it this into context much better than I did. I just feel like such a smack for falling for it. Argh.
Posted by: Nicole at August 22, 2003 10:36 AMJournalism ethics is one of those oxymorons....
Posted by: Susie at August 22, 2003 11:07 AM