Rumors, gossip, and unsubstantiated information in general have no place in the blogosphere. Unfortunately, the practice of posting such information to high-profile blogs is only gaining in popularity. The most recent example of this occurred on February 13, 2004, when The Drudge Report, a right-wing news blog hosted by Matt Drudge, posted unsubstantiated information about investigations into an extramarital affair that John Kerry may have had. Let’s consider some of the consequences of this post and others like it:

• Damage to individual credibility. Ardent John Kerry supporters may be well aware of Matt Drudge’s conservative opinions and reputation, and thus are not likely to be swayed by the content of his site. However, for those who are undecided or whose opinions lie somewhere in the middle ground, this type of post can have a serious impact on their feelings regarding Kerry. In general, gossip posts contribute little in the way of constructive news commentary and debate, and they may have a negative influence on undecided readers.



• Damage to blogosphere credibility. Blogging is a new medium that has a lot of potential to revolutionize the way people get information and news. At this point while people are still adjusting to blogs and deciding how credible they are, blogs that post unsubstantiated information only serve to reduce readers’ confidence in blogs as a whole. Perhaps one day blogging will have matured enough so that readers can distinguish between gossip and news blogs as easily as they distinguish between tabloids and real newspapers, but we are no where near that stage as of yet.



• Changes in editorial dynamics at real news organizations. Several million people visit The Drudge Report everyday, so when a rumor pops up there, real news outlets are faced with the choice of either investigating a possibly-unsubstantiated story or ignoring a possible news item that millions of people already know about. In effect, gossip blog posts force traditional media organizations to spend time and energy deciding whether to investigate rumors. In the case of the John Kerry post, many organizations chose to ignore the story, while others made a brief mention of Kerry’s denials.

In sum, posting rumors and gossip to blogs causes a lot of harm and not much good. Traditional news media, blog readers, and bloggers themselves would all benefit if these types of posts could be curtailed.

Although your point is well argued, I do not believe that gossip blogs are as damaging as you say. Most gossip blogs are quite clear in their intentions, or at least as clear as tabloids are. If readers can’t make the distinction between Wonkette (a raunchy Washington gossip blog) and BOP News (a serious news blog about the Presidential election), they probably have just as difficult of a time distinguishing tabloids from real news.

Adding a little gossip to a blog can certainly help in gaining readers. People love to feel like they are gaining secret tidbits of information ahead of time. The Drudge Report and other more gossipy blogs have millions of readers precisely because of this kind of appeal. It is natural for people to seek out the inside scoop, and blogs provide a great new medium that makes this possible. Thus, gossip blogs actually help to promote blogging by introducing the medium to the general public and helping to retain readers’ interest.

What you suggest is representative of what I consider to be a very dangerous precedent. Nick Denton, the publisher of both Wonkette and Gawker, another gossip site, made this recent comment to the New York Times (you can see the recap on Slashdot):

“I think it's implicit in the way that a Web site is produced that our standards of accuracy are lower. Besides, immediacy is more important than accuracy, and humor is more important than accuracy.”

The suggestion that posting a story before anyone else is more important than posting the story correctly is deeply disturbing. If this is the way that Denton feels, and his sites continue to gain in popularity, what remains to stop other more credible sites from following suit in order to gain more readers? If we allow this sort of mindset to take hold, eventually there will be no way to distinguish between rumors and real news, at least in the blogosphere. Providing the honest facts should always take precedence over whatever entertainment value rumors may supply for a blog.