Allow me a minute to get real with you.
The online Topix forum where readers can comment on articles and letters that appear in the paper and on our Web site is rife with catty zings, poles, misinformation and even threats, posted under pseudonyms like “Guess Who,” “Provocateur,” “Leaping Lizard,” “The Voice of Reason,” and my personal favorite, “Smokey McPot.” McPot (whoever he or she may be) first appeared in the mire of more than 400 posts about the 5,000-plant marijuana find on County Supervisor Rob Brown”s ranch.
But we do get the occasional blogger who gives their real name, like Phil Murphy, a Kelseyville organic pear farmer who speaks frequently at board of supervisors meetings and is generally very involved and vocal. By the way, he”s been both my detractor and my defender, but that”s neither here nor there. I just have to give him props for using his real name.
He and thousands of other bloggers have had plenty of opportunity to weigh in on my ability as a journalist, my grammar, my spelling, my research ? everything that goes into this job. And that”s fine. I knew that was coming when I signed up, with or without Topix. I get that in the local grocery store.
For that reason, you won”t see me claiming the sheriff and his men can”t swim, Rob Brown is a pot farmer, or that the man who hit a 10-year-old girl with his truck was the head of security at a local resort.
At least, not without proof, and certainly not without telling you where I got the information.
But now it”s personal. Now it”s affecting my job. I”ve had trusted sources tell me they won”t talk to me anymore because of the blogs. And despite my advice to “just let it roll off your back,” I don”t blame them. This is the Wild, Wild West, only it”s all anonymous.
That means nameless, faceless bloggers can stab you in the back, call you any number of expletives (most of which our editor has tried to filter out in a 400-plus word dictionary), or call you a child molester ? for which there is no filter ? all without fear of repercussions. There is no one to confront, no one to fact-check, no one to hold accountable. Bloggers are taken at face value, judging by the posts, as they hurl accusations that may or may not have any basis in reality ? or could even be born of a drug-induced rant, for all you know. (I”ve read some that have made me wonder.)
I”m told the things bloggers post affects my sources” personal lives, and their families.
Don”t get me wrong. I”m all for free speech and freedom of information. That”s my bread and butter, in fact. I just happen to believe that when our forefathers put that in ink, there was no means of broadcasting complete tripe for the whole world to see without telling anyone who you are or how you know. Even if that thought crossed their minds, I doubt they thought anyone would ever give credence to such a thing.
Back then, though, your word was your bond. If you said it, you”d better be ready to back it up. Why? Fear. The same reason many sources don”t want to go on the record, and the same reason I tell them I can”t use their information if they aren”t willing to have their name published in the paper for all to see.
If someone reads your words, they may call you on it. They might be upset. You could get fired. If you”re a public official, you may lose votes in the next election because of your views. Then on the other hand, you may reach someone. Your words may be the catalyst to affect change.
So you make a choice: lay it on the line and see what happens or don”t make waves. Freedom of speech is about walking that line, and fear has always been the necessary balance to impulsivity as we do. Drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and even alcohol remove the necessary element of fear that makes us hesitant to do things we may later regret. Apparently, so does anonymity.
This has devolved to the point where it isn”t about freedom of speech anymore. And while I recognize that there is apparently no way to make sure bloggers truthfully identify themselves, I”ll go as far as to say that we”ve unwittingly become an enabler for something akin to a drug addiction.
Even though Topix is technically (and legally) not our Web site, they are one of our vendors. We pay them to take you to that wreaking cesspool of human nature at its worst when you click on the comments link at the bottom of our articles.
But in our defense, we signed on for Topix in good faith that it would be used as an avenue for free expression. But it”s not. As I understand it, my right to freely swing my hand ends where your nose begins.
Not to mention I wouldn”t want you to give me a black eye in return. But the kind of fearless abandon that”s given room to fester behind a sea of pseudonyms has turned that forum into a place where people”s lives and reputations can be electronically lynched by an anonymous mob.
Tiffany Revelle is a reporter for the Lake County Record-Bee, covering the primary area of North County including the Board of Supervisors and City of Lakeport.
Opinions are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Lake County Record-Bee or its management.
Editor”s Note: Topix is a third-party web-posting forum service the Record-Bee”s ownership, MediaNews Group, thinks is important to readers in this era of interactive online media. It provides an excellent way for readers to have an instant voice concerning the news in the community. The management and ownership of the Record-Bee doesn”t condone the usage of profanity, untruths, or insensitive and abusive rants on the Topix forum.
