Laws on blogging - the Barbados Advocate and the red herring
Today’s Barbados Advocate has printed an editorial ”The Blogging Phenomenon”, which states that blogs are an online equivalent to a newspaper, and should thus be subject to the same laws as mainstream media. I don’t necessarily agree with this, and really find the tone of such a statement to convey a sense of agreement with creating an environment that will promote the censorship of online views. From reading some Bajan blogs, I get the sense that Barbados’ media is one that is well-censored, and that “toeing the line”, and not “upsetting the coconut cart” is a way of life.
From my observations, blogging has taken on the form of a social movement in its own way, with blogs like the Barbados Free Press blog, and Barbados Underground highlighting issues in the country. From time to time, the blogs have complained that the mainstream media pointedly ignores them in their publications. Well today it seems that ignoring blogs has been put on pause. Companies or “the establishment” fear social media because people can say what they want, when they want, and freely. Instead of seeking to block means of communication, they really should throw fear aside and take up the challenge of communications in an open, online world.
”The Advocate editorial is interesting. It says that blogs are “not immediately to be compared to a newspaper, so far as the law is concerned”, citing the ability to have greater anonymity. But it then concludes “we consider … the blog is merely the online equivalent of a newspaper [and] should be subject to the same laws in respect of freedom of expression”. The leader column acknowledges that blogs are “here to stay”, “democratised free speech”, and “served to revolutionise the traditional balance between the individual interest in reputation and the right of freedom of expression”. Importantly, it notes that “by all indications, the readership of these blogs is in excess of that of the two local daily newspapers”. This editorial suggests that blogs have raised the level of debate…
Whether bloggers need to be covered by the same law as newspapers may be a red herring.”
Questioning the level of freedom of expression that exists, Dennis highlights the fact that several Bajan bloggers do so anonymously, and notes the high level of press censorship in
Ironically, when I type the words “
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Comments
Just getting a chance to catch up with your blog…..interesting article…..but whose law will they use to hand down judgement….if I live in Iceland and blog about someone/something in Ireland and I am Cuban, then whose law do we use? I can’t imagine that we could be viewed as “main stream” media per se….but let’s see.
i read this last week and then lost my comment.
basically I was saying that the mainstream press is within its rights to complain. The web is a free for all while they have to abide by certain rules. Is it fair? well not exactly especially when they are losing readership to the web cause they have to watch what they say and how they say it but thats just the way it is.
until they, the powers that be, come up with a way to properly govern the web you’ll have people saying whatever they feel like be it true or false with or without the proper context or evidence. the onus i feel is on the reader to decipher the truth from the false when reading blogs, mesageboards etc. the shame of it is that careers and reputations can be ruined by a few lines of untrue text on a blog or messageboard.it sucks but thats how it is.
First, the site is delicious!
On the matter of the Barbados Advocate, their likening blogs to mainstream journalism is indicative of their lack of understanding of blogging or journalism, altogether. Because Barbados is also so small, questions of ownership and control may very much influence the question of not “shaking up the conconut cart”. On the other hand , I have seen obvious bias, unrelenting, irresponsible and mindless banter masquerading as journalism in both newspapers. Our size, all 166 square miles, does not lend itself to the type of journalism one would like to see. Press censorship in Barbados has everything too to do with the advertising dollar and the issues , as aforementioned, of ownership and control and agend setting. Alas, this is nothing more than prostitution. (I expect to get some licks on this). I remain un afraid, since this is MY OPINION.
I recall writing a sensitive story on an issue regarding the equivalent of wire tapping. Barbados has no privacy laws on the books but while this is so, the “evidence” that was before me suggested it was a good story and bespoke a lack of moral direction as it relates to the alleged perpetrators. Before I could put my finger on the keyboard, I was given a stern warning not to publish on the basis that my story would “be a threat to national security”. What bunkum, rubbish, coddwallop. I had no choice but to stop writing.
Ownership and control, the individual lens through which we see, interpret and disseminate news in a small country like Barbados is even incomparable with that in Jamiaca and Trinidad. Look at Grenada, St Vincent. Size does matter! Look at the US!
I digress, however. While I accept blogging as a form of uncensored opinion, I absolutely abhor Barbados Underground and Barbados Free Press’ approach for allowing anonymous comment. Usually, this comment is defamatory, libelous, debase gossip, not worthy of reading. It may be opinion but with opinion comes responsbibility. Sadly, cyberspace is not yet regulated to the degree where one can take these irate, sick bloggers to Court. Yes indeed, I have seen them destroy lives and careers in Barbados.
Thus, my view is that blogging still brings with it a certain moral compass (not censorship) but self-censorship regarding what is truth whether controversial or not, opinion or not.
Barbados presents its own unique problems which require further academic study but to date, I am yet to come across a news blog or a blog ,like yours for example except very, very few, which touches many topics, without it denigrating some individual or individuals.