One thing I absolutely love about being a blogger is the autonomy. No word counts. No editorial mandate. No rules. However, as blogs continue to grow as a seriously influential medium, do bloggers need to hold themselves to a higher standard?
According to Jocelyn Newmarch at Thought Leader: absolutely.
If you want to engage in analysis — which most Thought Leader bloggers do — you have to think critically if you hope to be taken seriously. Is your source reliable? If you’re relying on previous media reports for your analysis — which most bloggers do — is their view likely? Do you check your facts, in this case by checking how other people have reported on the same issue, especially as the post in question was likely to be emotive? How do you treat additional information which may change your analysis? Do you even consider it?
In my humble opinion, it all depends on the type of blog you are running. One thing, however, is certain: you should always tell the truth and be prepared to defend your post, regardless of your blog’s size.
Do you consider bloggers journalists?
