Comments on: The Ethics of Anonyblogging http://americasfuture.org/conventionalfolly/2009/06/08/the-ethics-of-anonyblogging/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:17:16 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Sonny Bunch http://americasfuture.org/conventionalfolly/2009/06/08/the-ethics-of-anonyblogging/comment-page-1/#comment-2125 Sonny Bunch Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:44:52 +0000 http://americasfuture.org/conventionalfolly/?p=4607#comment-2125 I'm still not sure I see this as "unethical." Again, it might be a dick move. But when you have someone haranguing you and the place that you work by name while hiding behind a pseudonym so as to protect your own personal/professional standing, I don't think you have an ethical obligation to protect that person. Like I said, if publius was going to be executed or persecuted for what he had written, we'd have a different story. That's not what we're dealing with. We're dealing with a person who wished to alter public discourse without putting his name to his words because it would have made him personally uncomfortable. I really don't think Whelan had any obligation to keep this a secret (even though, again, I don't see any real benefit to having outed him). I’m still not sure I see this as “unethical.” Again, it might be a dick move. But when you have someone haranguing you and the place that you work by name while hiding behind a pseudonym so as to protect your own personal/professional standing, I don’t think you have an ethical obligation to protect that person. Like I said, if publius was going to be executed or persecuted for what he had written, we’d have a different story. That’s not what we’re dealing with. We’re dealing with a person who wished to alter public discourse without putting his name to his words because it would have made him personally uncomfortable. I really don’t think Whelan had any obligation to keep this a secret (even though, again, I don’t see any real benefit to having outed him).

]]> By: E.D. Kain http://americasfuture.org/conventionalfolly/2009/06/08/the-ethics-of-anonyblogging/comment-page-1/#comment-2124 E.D. Kain Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:27:23 +0000 http://americasfuture.org/conventionalfolly/?p=4607#comment-2124 I think the "unethical" bit comes into play when you include in the story the fact that publius specifically told Whelan that he had "personal and professional" reasons for blogging anonymously. It's one thing, after all, if part of your <i>job</i> is to blog, and quite another if you work somewhere where your employer may frown on your blogging. There is no compelling reason to out another blogger, and when they have specifically said that they have reasons for blogging anonymously, it strikes me as definitely unethical to ignore that and out them anyways. And if not unethical, then certainly in very poor taste. Beyond this, I think we will start to see a trend in blogs - and especially well trafficked blogs - toward less anonymity. I think the “unethical” bit comes into play when you include in the story the fact that publius specifically told Whelan that he had “personal and professional” reasons for blogging anonymously. It’s one thing, after all, if part of your job is to blog, and quite another if you work somewhere where your employer may frown on your blogging. There is no compelling reason to out another blogger, and when they have specifically said that they have reasons for blogging anonymously, it strikes me as definitely unethical to ignore that and out them anyways. And if not unethical, then certainly in very poor taste.

Beyond this, I think we will start to see a trend in blogs – and especially well trafficked blogs – toward less anonymity.

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