Per a recent post at The Editors Weblog, a study reported by the law firm DLA Piper reported that 46% of internet users are in favor of a code of conduct for bloggers and online commentators. Only 32% of bloggers indicated that they would support the initiative.
“According to Duncan Calow, a DLA Piper media law specialist, there is a “dangerous perception” among web users that user-generated content is “immune to the law.” Three-quarters of users who had posted comments or blogged online were oblivious to libel law, while only 1 in 3 had actually read the terms and conditions of the sites they frequent.”
A press release on DLA Piper’s website yields a wealth of statistics (aggregated from a survey conducted by UK-based YouGove Plc) about blogger and commentator awareness surrounding legal issues:
- Only 5% of bloggers and commentators are clear on their rights.
- 77% of bloggers don’t know where the law stands.
- Online 33% of internet commentators have read the terms and conditions of the forum they are using.
- 42% of Internet users feel bloggers should be held to the same legal standards as journalists.
- Only 27% of bloggers feel they should be held to the same standards as journalists.
- 46% of Internet users think a code of conduct should be created; Only 36% of bloggers are in favor.
Click here to read more about the study, including some of the legal pitfalls associated with blogging and online commentary.
So, what do you think? Are you in favor of a bloggers code of conduct? Should bloggers be held to the same legal standards as journalist?
Image Credit: Flickr ~C4Chaos
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