The internet is a fascinating place. It’s hard to believe that one person can have such an impact on millions of people, especially in the realm of news-based blogs. While many blogs are simply used as conduits for news outlets and opinion pieces, the power of these sites can be off-putting too. Zehabesha news today youtube is a news blog by nature, but that doesn’t mean it directly shares news articles with its readers. After all, once a post is published, the site can’t edit it. The best way to describe this site is “Branded Content,” and while many blogs do this already (e.g. Huffington Post , Slate ), the distinction is important in theory and practice.
Since a blog is a site which allows readers to leave comments and feedback on various posts, there are bound to be some inflammatory comments that can have a negative impact on the product. For example, when blogs like Gawker, The Daily Show and Buzzfeed have been sued for libel, many have been forced to pay millions in damages. Any new blogger or digital news site should consider the following facts about news blogs that will make you think twice.These five facts about blogs take your understanding of blogs as news websites–and we all know how important those can be–up another notch.
5 Facts About News Blogs That Will Make You Think Twice :
1. A news blog is not a newspaper or news publication.
The distinction between those two is extremely important, as they have very different business models. A newspaper is a physical product which can be found in your local store, while a news website is simply a collection of content which you access on the internet. A news blog is not beholden to any one media outlet and can occasionally violate the law just like any other content site does. Simply put, stories can be published on these blogs for an indefinite amount of time, as opposed to newspapers which are acquired by editors and subject to review processes before printing.
2. There are no checks and balances on news blogs.
As mentioned, newspapers are held accountable for the stories that they publish. They have editors, writers and even entire departments which review content before it’s printed on paper. Even though many blogs have editors and writers, it can be hard to verify whether or not their stories are completely true. The amount of misinformation which is spread online is astounding, and unlike a newspaper which has its credentials to fall back on, your blog will get away with whatever you publish as long as you don’t publish anything libelous or inaccurate (which can lead to legal consequences).
3. News bloggers cannot be sued for libel.
The law related to libel can be very convoluted and is different for each state. However, the general trend is that a news blogger (or any website for that matter) can be sued as long as they are proven to have written something “false or defamatory” about someone else. Any news blogger should consider how this issue might apply to their site, especially considering how misinformation can be spread online like wildfire these days.
4. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates news blogs.
Just like websites, bloggers are subject to the FCC’s jurisdiction. While the FCC doesn’t govern all sites, they do have jurisdiction over certain types of sites and have made an effort to regulate blogging activities in the past by publishing reports like “Fostering a Media Competitiveness” (the Library of Congress has similar guidelines). The FCC has made a point to regulate online journalism since the ink was still wet on its last set of rules for radio and TV stations in 2005.
5. People can sue news bloggers on behalf of others.
When someone is defamed in a news blog, they can sue both the blogger and the blog itself (if any). Basically, if someone posts something that is embarrassing or otherwise harmful to your reputation, you can sue . This is why many news blogs will remove comments that could be considered libelous. As of this writing, a person’s name, portrait and reputation are considered “property” and are protected from defamation due to the common law tort of “invasion of privacy.”
Conclusion : The Internet can be a great forum for sharing new stories and generating revenue. However, there are millions of blogs which have found themselves in legal trouble because they published something that was inaccurate or defamatory. It’s never a good idea to publish something which could lead to a lawsuit, and news bloggers should be cautious when publishing stories.
