An opinion piece from today's Philippine Star (The Truth Shall Prevail) called Are media losing out to websites and blogs? by Federico D. Pascual Jr. contains the obligatory warning about the dangers posed by those wild and crazy bloggers:
DANGER LURKS: With their digital cameras and mobile phones, many budding journalists now compete in newsgathering and reporting.
One obvious problem, however, is the new electronic media's lack of conventional discipline and clearcut codes of conduct. The informal setup does not seem to be guided by a firm code and a delineation of legal responsibility.
Most times in the Internet, nobody knows the blogger hiding behind a cryptic username. The uploading of comments is instant and there is no effective way of verification of what is offered to be published. That is dangerous.
Where are the gatekeepers to ensure that bloggers have the "conventional discipline," "clearcut codes of conduct," and "effetive way of verification" that we've come to depend on from the traditional media?
