The Washington Post reports today about anonymous blog postings and their influence on local races in Virginia.
According to the article -- and conventional wisdom -- although most blogs “draw only a few thousand readers a day,” in primary elections “where voter turnout is low and 'political junkies' who frequent such Web sites are more likely to vote, the blogs might have a real effect.”
According to some critics of the blogosphere, the problem with blogs is that they allow virtually anyone to post anything -- factual or not -- and start the wheels on the rumor mill running full steam ahead.
The anonymous blogger at the center of the piece -– who posts entries as “Not Larry Sabato,” a harmless dig at the Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics who considers
himself “the most quoted college professor in the land” -- eloquently states the not-so-obvious:
We don't have the same standards as [the mainstream media]. If someone makes a defamatory statement [in our comment section], that has nothing to do with us. We are not responsible for what other people are saying on our blog. It's kind of like a hotel pool. There's no lifeguard. You are responsible for yourself.”
What this means for candidates
Now, I'm not one for doomsday scenarios and ultimatums, but the message to politicians couldn't be clearer: ignore blogs at your own peril.
As many candidates in local and national races have begun to learn, blogs can help uncover juicy facts before they appear in the mainstream media and even carry you to victory, but they can also spread malicious rumors and tarnish reputations.
Candidates and their staff members would be wise to read and participate in blog communities that cover their race to engage voters and respond to false rumors before they spread.
In races that are decided by a few hundred or few thousand votes, it can mean the difference between winning and losing on Election Day.
And for bloggers...
While nothing new, bloggers do need to be aware of the reach and influence of their websites. Spreading misinformation is not only immoral, but it could be illegal and open yourself up to liability.
The legal issues are nothing to scoff at. Most bloggers are not incorporated. You don't want to find yourself in trouble with the law, especially for something that you didn't even post yourself.
To combat these problems, bloggers should consider "posting policies," such as the one that the Not Larry Sabato folks use. As they note on their site today:
...anytime we have gotten a request to delete comments from a subject of them we have done so, and will continue to do so.
Not a bad idea.
"According to some critics of the blogosphere, the problem with blogs is that they allow virtually anyone to post anything -- factual or not -- and start the wheels on the rumor mill running full steam ahead."
Yes, precisely, I would agree that's a problem-- potentially incurring libel, defamation, identity theft, lack of transparency, etc. Your response is "ignore blogs at your peril!" which hardly addresses the critics.
delicious
digg
technorati
deletion?
"Not a bad idea."
I disagree. That's a process just as easy to abuse as is anonymous commenting, because the subejct couldbe requesting that a totally true but simply embarassing-to-them comment be removed.
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