Washington Times: journalists need permission to blog
Staff at The Washington Times who wish to blog must ask for permission, says editor in chief Wesley Pruden in a memo: "Any staff member who plans to set up or regularly contribute to an Internet blog, Web site, or other electronic billboard, posting service or message distribution system must first request and obtain permission from senior editors."
Permission to blog will be given as long as staff members agree to a set of requirements: blog research and writing must be done outside work hours, topics covered must differ from those the staff member works on at The Washington Times, no reporting on The Washington Times is allowed, "comments that would reflect adversely on The Washington Times generally or the staff member's professionalism" must be avoided.
The reasoning behind these is the following: "Employees, especially reporters and editors, should recognize that even though their comments may seem to be in their "private space," their words are a direct extension of the newspaper. This is because search engines, and particularly other blogs, can locate their posts. Thus, what an employee writes in his or her "private space" and on personal time can reflect back on the employee and the newspaper."
Source: Poynter Online
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Washington Times: journalists need permission to blog.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.editorsweblog.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/810
yeah, so does anyone else who works for a corporate entity; especially the provision about not blogging about one's employer. ever hear about "getting dooced?"