If you’re a billion-dollar public broadcaster, you may be slow to adopt new technologies, or simply slow to accept reality. You may be overrun with managers, half of whom are elderly, inept, or both, yet also strangely unable to manage. As a result, you may be asleep at the wheel as “the media landscape” changes around you. You may ignore the rise of Weblogs entirely until it is almost too late, at which point you hire a nice guy you can keep on a short leash without even using a collar. You certainly are not responsible and forward-thinking enough to write and distribute your own blogging policy.
So your bloggers, even the anonymous ones, have no choice but to do it for you. Behold the CBC Blogging Manifesto.
It’s the result of a lot of work by many bloggers (not really including me), and I reproduce it here in case the host site has an unfortunate Jimmy Hoffa–style accident.
- Use common sense and don’t do anything stupid. Blog to make the CBC better, not to kill it. There are plenty of others who want to do that for us.
- Ad hominem attacks should be avoided but disagreeing is expected.
- Be brave. Be honest and tell it straight. Talk about new ideas and revive some old ones. Don’t be afraid to challenge the “experts,” and certainly not the anonymous ones.
- Use audio, video and images fearlessly, but responsibly. Use judgement if asked to take it down.
- Acknowledge and link to your sources. If it is a rumour, say so. If your co-worker says something you’d like blog, ask them first. If it was another website, link to it. Do your research. Be fair. Get it right. And change it if it is wrong.
- Blog wherever and whenever you want, but don’t let it detract from your job.
- Eschew advertising. Plugging the CBC, yourself, and your work is cool. Banner ads are tacky.
- During the next strike or lockout, you may feel urged to ignore any or all of these guidelines. Do so at your own risk, knowing that your words can harm yourself, others, and the CBC itself.
We already know of one CBC captioner who blogs. What happens now?