A NOTE TO ASPIRING BLOGGERS: You have a responsibility to your readers. If you are reporting on breaking information that no one else has heard -- that will be controversial -- you are obligated to site sources. [SOURCE OF INSPIRATION: The hundreds of articles Ive read during the past few years about what Facebook will or wont do that will ruin businesses forever. As a result, the facts in this post may or may not be true, and its up to you to come to your own conclusions.] If you have a trustworthy source, link to it. Quote it. And pick it apart for holes. If its an anonymous source, it is your responsibility to be clear from the start that this is an anonymous source and you cant be 100% sure that what you are about to say is correct. Not in the comments after the fact. In the post -- repeatedly. If its an anonymous source, it is your responsibility to pick holes in that claim. If its an anonymous source, it is your responsibility to remind your reader at the end of the article that its always possible this is not true. When its an anonymous source, that sources reputation is only at stake in your own eyes. When you report on it, your reputation is at stake. Even if your breaking news ends up being proven true, you have a responsibility to present it with a dose of skepticism. You will get tons of website traffic for being irresponsible. Its not worth it. Its not worth ruining your brand for short-term traffic. Its not worth ruining your reputation. Its not worth getting your audience -- who trusted and looked up to you -- all worked up for something that may or may not be true, but you presented as fact. They wont forgive you. Or they shouldnt. If they do, you are lucky. Or they are naive. If you dont write responsibility, your content is paper-thin. You should inspire independent thought, not revolt. Otherwise, your 15 minutes of paper-thin traffic are almost over. [REMINDER: This post was inspired by hundreds of articles that may or may not be true. As a result, it is up to you to sort out the facts and inconsistencies and come to your own conclusions.]
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 18:44:08 +0000
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