A Call for Responsible Bloggers: Where’s Your Ethics?
Lately, blogging has been creating a big buzz all over the world. People leave their day jobs to pursue other ventures and some become successful freelancers in various fields. One is content creation. It’s channeled through writing or blogging.
Most of us have easy access to social media and other websites which may contain content that could fool people and mislead them. These are fake news. Honestly, it is disappointing how fake news spread like wildfire. It can even destroy one’s perspective about a certain personality.
One of my pet peeves to see family members sharing or sending links about fake news or even fake articles. It has become an insult to other bloggers and can harm blogging in general. Besides, something must be done.
Responsible Blogging & Ethics
Writers and influencers have a certain amount of power. It allows us to touch other people’s lives through our posts. With a simple social media post, words transform into swords that pierce through someone’s morals. They have the power and the strength to make or break a person. So, it’s understood that every writer and influencer to be careful on what they post. Since it can cause a ruckus in the future.
But, what does it take be a responsible blogger?
Research
First is research. Most do their research accordingly as it helps them to share and deliver information more accurately. Basing their posts on facts is one of the most important factors in blogging. A writer or influencer cannot share or post stuff that are false. If they do so, their credibility will be gone in an instant.
Photos & Videos
Secondly, photos and videos. Some capture photos and videos of the restaurants they have been to and the food they ate. Others captivate their audience through grandiose photos and videos which captured and showcased their adventures here and there. And those with talents in that field curate their content according to their branding and what their blog is all about. We, the audience, are simply amazed at how unique and edited it is. Some have themes created which they would follow for a certain period of time before thinking of another.
Their Opinion
This may not be quite popular with others but it is something required to most. We cannot fathom every photo or video in an instant which is why we look for narration or their thoughts. We depend and rely on the blogger on how will they walk us through a specific restaurant or place which could be a million miles away from us.
But to everyone out there, do not forget to put credits on the posts especially if it was lifted from another source. Discrediting them could be another form of plagiarism and everybody do not like that. Which is why every person must be careful of their statements in their posts.
What they think will always be essential to their followers. If they stick to the truth, then they are responsible and ethical bloggers.
Now, we go onto the next big thing. Fake News.
Spotting Fake News
Wherever one faces, there’s always a fake news or article lying around. Some have always get the tendency of getting fooled yet others spot them easily. But sadly, there will be those who got fooled, who believed and who shared.
So now, how do you spot fake news?
Let me give a few tips on how to spot it easily.
- Check the title.
- Be attentive to the URL or link of the article.
- Observe the date it was posted.
- Check and observe the photos if they have used relevant photos and sources.
- Do not be afraid of doing a research about the news on search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing.
- Look at the comments or reactions. Most of the time, it will show others’ reaction about the matter.
These are simple tips that could help you discover the truth behind the article that you have seen.
After spotting the fake news published on the internet and on other platforms, we wonder how other bloggers can one be responsible and ethical.
How can I contribute towards responsible blogging?
A simple blogger can be a responsible blogger if every post is based on facts which expresses her own honest opinion. Quite frankly, it has been one of my mottos in life to always do research, gather enough data before I post anything or even insinuate.
My blogs contribute to responsible blogging since it always aims to share facts and truthful experiences. These are first hand experiences that I have experienced throughout my existence in the world. Some are personal anecdotes in life and some are reviews about movies, restaurants or even books.
If I continue to stick to my prime purpose why I started blogging, it would always continue molding me to become a responsible blogger. For every post I write, I always strive to get my facts straight and have my own photos. I strive to always credit the works of other people may it be photos or videos which I included in my post and also, quotes by famous people.
Through this, I am contributing to responsible blogging and proper blogging ethics.
Don’t forget to pin this!
Don’t forget to like this photo to help me with the 2017 Philippine Blogging Awards! 💙
How about you? How will you contribute to responsible blogging and proper ethics?
17 Comments
Yan
November 17, 2017 at 11:05 PMGreat insight 🙂 Also, blogging should not be confused with journalism, and facts are different from opinion. Blogging has always been more opinion based, which is okay, especially if you’re sharing about a personal experience. But if you’re reacting to news, that’s where you need to validate your facts, it’s embarrassing to be triggered by something that eventually comes out as fake. Which is why I rarely discuss news in my blog and just stick to personal stuff haha.
Mia Foo
November 19, 2017 at 1:05 AMI feel the prospects of sponsorship is costing a lot of bloggers their blogging ethics and credibility. so many times i had such high hopes for a certain new food because every single blogger/influencer praise them to the sky and when I really tried them for myself, even mediocre is an overstatement. it can really be this bad! I’m also greatly peeved when I read up blogs for information, found nothing worth reading other than perfectly taken photographs, and then realising it’s a sponsored post.
Sorry for ranting, but it really annoys me!
Mimi
November 27, 2017 at 3:22 PMI definitely agree with this point as well! Sometimes, some bloggers over-exaggerate a certain place, object, food, etc. that they become sensationalized… Then when we do check it out, we get disappointed because they’re nothing like what the blog portrayed. As a food blogger myself, I always make sure that even if it’s sponsored, I would always deliver contents with integrity and authenticity. That means being honest with my reviews — or, if I’ve got nothing nice to say, then I’d definitely just opt not to blog about it. I wouldn’t want my readers disappointed because I gave them false hope or something. 🙂
Louisa
November 19, 2017 at 4:47 PMThis is a timely topic to venture in to. Responsible blogging has been a hot topic of late. For myself, I write what I like to write about. I make sure I have my facts straight but give my honest opinions. Overall I’m a positive person so I always try to look at any situation as half full rather than half empty.
Joanna
November 21, 2017 at 9:01 PMThere are so many unethical bloggers out there and even I know quite a few who pretend to be something they are not just to be paid by brands. I would never support a brand I don’t believe in or a brand that doesn’t suit my audience. Isn’t it annoying when some bloggers all of a sudden are “travel bloggers” just because a company offered them money for a link? I think that as a blogger, as someone who shares their opinion online and influences other people, we should be very responsible! There was recently a case of a big fancy party which was a disaster and the bloggers who promoted because they got paid to do so, got sued and are in a big mess at the moment.
Berlin | Momi Berlin
November 22, 2017 at 10:14 AMI like this post. You not only give us signs and examples of a not so realiable article.. You even share your thoughts how to be a reaponsbile influencer and writer. I just hope others or we always check our sources. Writing is not just writing and sharing thoughts. We may influence others in the process thus responsible writing should be given great importance.
theresa
November 23, 2017 at 10:09 PMIt’s saddening that people are really gullible these days. I often times tell my students that they shouldn’t believe anything and everything posted on the internet. One should make proper research. Being a blogger/ influencer also doesn’t gives us the right to boldly bash anyone on social media. I hope every one should learn how to be respectful to people, e it online of offline.
Milton Coyne
November 23, 2017 at 10:40 PMthis is very timely… especially now that fake news are almost everywhere…
I feel the same way when someone from my friends or relatives share a hoax without doing any research before posting it on their timeline. But then I can blame some of them as most of them are my titos and titas who are not techie enough to ask Google about the real facts… sometimes, they even rant about it but their sources are from satire websites.
For us bloggers like us, yes, it is very important that we are responsible especially for the information we share… i really don’t appreciate satire websites (they should not exist on the first place).. today, satire sites are made not to give fun but to gather attention and to brainwash people. Now that almost everyone is engage online, we, bloggers, should learn how to influence people the right way!
Swayam Tiwari
November 24, 2017 at 1:33 AM‘Fake News’ has been sweeping several countries like India, United States, and even Philippines.
I see many bloggers peddle brand stories on their blogs all the time. Isn’t this killing the blogging industry? If it continues further then blogging will die a painful death sooner or later.
Gene Rose
November 24, 2017 at 6:33 AMOh my, “blogging” has been in hot water these days. I actually tried to shy away from this so I’ve unfollowed a lot of people who rant about it on social media. It’s not that I don’t care but more about the “instead of bashing what you hate, promote what you love” kind of thing. Like this post. I support you in this wholeheartedly.
Mommy Queenelizabeth
November 24, 2017 at 8:11 AMResponsible blogging has been on the limelight lately. Like fake news there are a lot of bloggers out there who are irresponsible. In any work or profession there is a code of ethics and blogging is no exception. Whenever i do posts i always strive too to post my own pictures and in some situations when i needed to copy or borrow one, i properly give credit and even put the backlinks of the site where i got it. Sadly, there are just some people who doesn’t do the same and would just download my photos and use it on their own.
Erica
November 24, 2017 at 6:19 PMWonderful insights! Reminds me of spiderman’s famous quote “with great powers come great responsibility”… now im not sure if it is from spiderman movie 😮 on a serious note, i definitely agree about abiding by a code of ethics for responsible blogging. The responsibility should start in us. Hopefully we become more responsible and accountable from what we post online and readers wiser!
Me-An Clemente
November 24, 2017 at 11:42 PMI like this post. Truly, whether we consider ourselves as influential or not, as bloggers, we have the responsibility to put up honest information. Also, we should really read verify news too before sharing it so as not to propagate fake news. Anyway, the post I usually do focus on travel, so what I do is specify if it is sponsored or not. I also try to say what my actual experience was in a place even if it doesn’t paint a glamorous travel and includes horrible experience.
Teresa
November 26, 2017 at 7:29 PMI agree with you that we need to be responsible writers/bloggers. It takes a lot of work to make sure that only the right information is included in our articles or posts. But that is what responsible writers do. Hopefully, more bloggers would heed the call to use their influence properly and for good.
Kylie
December 17, 2017 at 9:18 AMMy mum is a doctor and so I’ve been blessed with an insight as to how food affects the body. It’s a topic I research extensively before I publish a post to ensure my content is accurate and adds value to my readers. In contrast, I have read so many articles and blog posts (even comments on my blogs) where people are providing advice based on a pseudo-science with no scientific basis. It kills me.
I really think this is a topic that needs to be emphasised more because some of the advice given and taken is potentially dangerous to their and their families health.
Clarice
March 11, 2018 at 9:36 PMI would have to agree that we have to be responsible when posting online. We already have a lot of crap on the internet thus, we should not add to it anymore.
Every online influencer must sort out their priorities and find their purpose. We should learn how to use these resources positively. Supporting your call and praying more bloggers would heed this call as well.
Berlin
April 7, 2018 at 8:19 PMI am one with you. I always believe bloggers need to be responsible, too. That even if we write based on our opinion, we should be careful as well on how to put everything into words. I agrew on research and evaluating fake from real news.