When Blogs Go Wrong

RiShawn Biddle, an African-American editorial writer at The Indianapolis Star, was fired in October for a blog post called “The Indianapolis Black Democrat minstrel show.” In the original entry, which has been deleted from The Star’s Web site, Riddle said the city’s council president, Monroe Gray, was “more Zip Coon than honorable statesman,” invoking a racially-charged stereotype that goes back more than 200 years. From the entry:

“Then there's the embarrassing spectacle that is Monroe Gray, whose tenure as city-county council president is being marked by a lack of decorum during council sessions, the videos of himself on YouTube and responses to allegations of corruption that wouldn't be acceptable to a child who claimed his dog ate the homework. His act, more Zip Coon than honorable statesman, epitomizes the lack of seriousness some Black politicians show in their work; it's just inexcusable....”

(As Shaggy from Scooby-Doo would say, ”Zoinks!”)

In an age when newbie journos and old-hats newshounds alike are expected to be online adventurers, forging ahead into the medium that is drastically changing our industry, where do you draw the line between news and opinion?

No matter what your bosses tell you, here’s the reality of the situation: If you work for a media company, you’re not a “genuine” blogger because you can’t—can NOT—just say whatever you want to say with no consequences. To me, that is the essence of blogging—being able to say whatever the heck I want without fear of reprisal from the company for which I work. Therefore, the freedom you reporters and writers think you feel while blogging for your newspaper, magazine, TV station, etc., ain’t free. Trust. You still work for that company and as such, when you write, you represent them. Until the day you quit, that is. Or get fired for comparing city council to a minstrel show.

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