2 Blog or not 2 Blog?

Do Bloggers have a responsibility to admit when they are wrong?
This question is popping up in the wake of Friday's arrests in the Armanious Family murder case in Jersey City NJ. The discussion revolves around trackbacks from and to Michelle Malkin's website after she admitted in one of her posts that she'd been wrong in bloggings about the case. First, it takes class for someone to admit they were wrong. Derek Rose applauds Ms. Malkin and Powerline for admitting they were wrong while conjuring up a list of other blogs that have not done the same. Should they? After all, a weblog is a diary, a commentary, a right of free speech sort of thing... and, according to Google, blogs are not considered in the same light as, say, a newspaper might be. Google News rejected Michelle Malkin's website for inclusion. Could that have anything to do with the fact that michellemalkin.com is now a bona fide blog? Those who don't share Malkin's views can alway visit the anti-Malkin blog, known as "Malkinwatch." Ah, the pull and tug of free speech in action!

JusTalkin blogs: "Too many times people blow off their past mistakes, even honest ones like this, and never acknowledge that they were wrong about something. When you have integrity, you want to point out not that you were wrong about something, but that you may have said something that wasn't true even when you didn't know it wasn't when you said it."

Last month The Christian Science Monitor ran an excellent piece by Randy Dotinga, "Are bloggers journalists? Do they deserve press protections?" which is certainly worth reading NOW. Michelle Malkin has an excellent post, "APPLE VS. BLOGGERS" which is also a must-read. Interestingly enough, there's an ex-Apple employee also blogging about this.

Perhaps Pandagon sums it up best: "If the media did half of what we do half as blatantly as we do it, we'd be calling foul left and right. But we don't, we're a different medium and play by different rules. Some of us, however, are beginning to get too large to play in such an ill-defined arena. Missteps and harsh words can cause real harm to greater goals, and it's something we should discuss."

Michelle Malkin continues to be right on top of the issue, and it is wise to check her blog regularly for updates. (APPLE VS. BLOGGERS, PART II)and (THE GRAY LADY COVERS THE FEC CONTROVERSEY) posted today.

Bloggers have carved themselves a niche in communication... indeed, some folks, it has been reported, get their information SOLELY from blogs! Is that scarey or what? What do YOU think? Your comments and trackbacks are always welcome!