So, you are well on your way to getting your environmental blog started up. You have picked a theme, compiled your research and you are ready to start spreading the news. You know that defaming another person’s character can get you into serious trouble and that you have the role of a journalist so media law often applies to you. The difference is that most journalists work in a team with legal support and fact checkers as well as editors and contributions from a number of people. Your blog is more about your perspective.
The general rule of thumb is that everything you post comes from you or is sourced off the net. This means you are often at a disadvantage. Even more dangerously, you may want to publish thoughts or a story on high profile figures but which government would often control. This can be a very good thing but could also mean severe consequences for you as an author. So you need to always ensure that you are protected whilst still getting the message across.
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech is a tricky issue. Not only is it a way of expressing ideas freely but also a practice that has limitations. Most people think that they can say whatever they want to under the broad umbrella of freedom of expression. However, freedom of expression does not extend to speech that is hateful, dishonest, unjustifiably defaming or created with unnecessarily harmful intent.
Being Objective
It is extremely difficult to try and be objective when dealing with something that you are passionate about. However, retaining some level of objectivity is essential when it comes to getting your point across. The final decision should be left in the mind of the reader. By trying to be as objective as possible, you will be less likely to get into legal battles because you are not necessarily enforcing your own ideas. You are instead, allowing readers to make up their own minds by presenting them with facts in an entertaining and engaging way. Subjectivity has a place in things like fashion blogs and humor pieces but environmental blogs should send a clear message without it having to be hammered in.
Your Rights
However, after all is said and done, you also have the right to keep your anonymity and not divulge who you are by name on your blogs. There are a number of organizations who are working to protect this. If what you are saying is legitimate and incriminating, you will find that outside claims and threats will flood in (especially from the culprits). It is your right to inform the public of wrongdoings or suspicious behavior without leading them to an ended conclusion. If you know that dolphins are being slaughtered in Japan and that the high mercury content in their meat is being fed to parts of the Japanese population, you can share this. You must however, have solid evidence to back up your claims.
Thanks to a friend (you know who you are) for the info which enabled me to write this article and also to the no win no fee solicitor who recently helped me out.
