A Statement of No Quarter’s Ethical Practices [Updated]
By SusanUnPC on August 12, 2008 at 1:05 PM in Bloggers
UPDATE: This has nothing to do with trolls here. Those are easy to take care of, as long as you readers e-mail me (susanunpc @ gmail dot com) with the information along with a COMPLETE copy of their comment, which helps me search for the comment. I am talking about other blogs and blog posts. But I refuse to be more specific in order to adhere to the principles laid out below.
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A foreward: PUMA stands for People UNITED Means Action. (There needs to be a little less “ass” and a lot more unity.)
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There have been many times in the past few months when the writers at No Quarter have read articles by fellow Hillary supporters, at an array of pro-Hillary blogs, with which we disagreed, or with which we had some concerns.
Sometimes we didn’t like the tone of the article. Sometimes we objected to the use of certain language. Sometimes we found the arguments weak. Sometimes, the best arguments were left out.
Sometimes we questioned the sources used. Sometimes — and this has happened more often than we care to mention — we had to question the veracity of the pro-Hillary writer or speaker. Sometimes we received information that directly contradicted the false claims of the pro-Hillary writer or speaker.
In all instances, if our concerns were grave enough, we wrote directly to the writer or speaker and informed them directly of our concerns.
The one action we will almost certainly never take is to attack any of these fellow pro-Hillary supporters on this blog.
And here is what we would do before we published any story about those grave concerns: We would go to great lengths to contact not only the writer/speaker, but we would also contact the blog owner(s), the other writers at that blog, and any members of a certain group.
In other words, we would do what ALL real journalists do. We would make every effort to contact the SUBJECT of the article, and all associates, before we would print a single word about that fellow Hillary supporter.
Have you ever read a single article by a true journalist that didn’t include 1) a statement by the subject of the article, or 2) a paragraph that explains that every effort was made to reach the subject, who did not return any phone calls or e-mails?
No. You haven’t.
Because that is what REAL journalists do.
If we bloggers wish to be considered to be REAL journalists — and we wish to be taken seriously — we will adopt the ETHICAL practices of real journalists.
Let the scenes from All The President’s Men serve as a template for how all bloggers should behave if they wish to be taken seriously:
Carl Bernstein: Bob, listen, I think I’ve got something, I don’t know what it is. But somewhere in this world there is a Kenneth H. Dahlberg, and we gotta get to him before the New York Times does, because I think they’ve got the same information.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bob Woodward: How do you think your check got into the bank account of a Watergate burglar?
Kenneth H. Dahlberg: I’m, uh, a proper citizen. What I do is proper.
Bob Woodward: Well, I – I understand.
Kenneth H. Dahlberg: I’ve just been through a terrible ordeal. My neighbor’s wife has been kidnapped!
After finding Dahlberg, and after finding the information on him, the reporters CALLED Dahlberg and gave him a chance to respond — BEFORE they printed a word.
Before publishing the damning story about John Mitchell’s involvement in Watergate, the reporters CALLED JOHN MITCHELL and did two important things:
(1) They informed John Mitchell that they were planning to write a story about him; and
(2) They gave John Mitchell an opportunity to respond.
Ben Bradlee: He really said that about Miss. Graham?
Carl Bernstein: Yeah, he did.
Ben Bradlee: Take off the word “tits” and run it.
Carl Bernstein: Why?
Ben Bradlee: Because this is a family newspaper.
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When any pro-Hillary blogger writes a story that attacks another pro-Hillary blogger, the courtesy of pre-publication contact is IMPERATIVE.
Actually, we should follow this practice in ALL instances.
That is, if we EVER hope to be regarded as serious writers.
Do we want to be respected?
Or do we just want to mouth off?
It is time for some people to ponder which is most important to them.
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Don’t bother to ask me why I am writing this. I will not say. Because I will not betray my own ethical standards.
But I will add this:
I see disturbing signs that the PUMA movement is splintering.
I have seen far too many instances of PUMA members back-stabbing each other in comments, in phone calls, and in blog posts.
Who wins when this happens?
One person:
Barack Obama.
Who loses when this happens?
One person:
Hillary Clinton
, the basis for the Best Motion Picture Nominee (Golden Globes) starring Brad Pitt.
, the novel by John Le Carre, a new motion picture starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.
by 
* (Included in the 
* 
.by David Fredosso who wrote 2008's 
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