Is a blogger code of conduct necessary?

 
Jarvis’ main argument is that it is plenty possible to run a civilized website without pledging to do so. He says he regularly deletes abusive comments and tells readers that he holds little respect for anonymous comments. However, the freedom to do so is part of the blogging world.

O’Reilly drafted the code and called for other bloggers’ help after anonymous comments threatened US blogger Kathy Sierra. The code so far says that uncensored blogs should carry a warning, and that "civilized" blogs should pledge to remain as such ans post a badge.

Jarvis points to the US section 230 law, which states that website owners are not responsible for content placed on their sites by others but are free to edit it. Congress set this law to allow site owners to improve discourse and limit abusive, dangerous, or even just off-topic conversation. The blogger code would render site owners responsible for everything that happens on their sites.

The code, Jarvis says, “treats the Internet as media, like a newspaper or TV show that is edited and sanitized for our protection. But it's not. The Internet is a place. We don't consume content there; we communicate and connect.”

Source: Media Guardian