Slashdot Mirror
Wonkette and the Ethics of Online Journalism
Decaffeinated Jedi writes "The New York Times offers up a thought-provoking article ('First With the Scoop, if Not the Truth' - free reg. req.) on Ana Marie Cox, proprietor of the popular inside-the-beltway gossip blog Wonkette. Known for her site's 'gossipy, raunchy, potty-mouthed' coverage of Washington politics, site owner Nick Denton is quoted in the article as saying, 'I think it's implicit in the way that a Web site is produced that our standards of accuracy are lower. Besides, immediacy is more important than accuracy, and humor is more important than accuracy.' Needless to say, such a statement raises some interesting questions about the growing influence of blogs and other non-traditional online news sources. That being said, does the nature of the World Wide Web in fact give sites like Wonkette, Drudge, or even Slashdot a free pass on accuracy if it means the difference between getting the scoop or not?"
Does anyone know why linking to a NYT article from here you get to the "Need to register" page, but when you search for the article in Google news, you can get right to the article? Not that I'm complaining, because I can go through Google without having to register. Does Google have some sort of agreement?
I won't even get started on any editoral abuse conspiracy theories...
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
It was sarcasm. Sigh.
An apt moderation in an article about online journalism, in which some are bringing up the insane, broken moderation system...of course, I can't participate since I haven't gotten mod points ever since daring to reply to The Post.
Yes, editors, you piss me off--just the fact that for a site that constantly professes to be supportive of open free speech movements and the OSS community, you sure do run a closed-off, behind-the-scenes kind of operation. Modbombs, removal of moderation abilities for daring to reply to a post the editors didn't like, etc. Michael, I'm specifically looking at you here.
Kuro5hin has the right idea about openness, but the bizarre leftist slant the site has taken in recent years coupled with the fact that you have to get "sponsored" by an existing user to sign up means it's pretty much dead in the water.