Call The Tulsa World's Bluff!

Sue Bob, as usual, has a clear command on professional journalism, and suggests that we show support for Oklahoma blogger Michael Bates by emailing The Tulsa World. I tracked down the email of Executive Editor Joe Worley: joe.worley@tulsaworld.com

Sue Bob pointed out in an email:

Journalistic ethics state:

• Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.
• Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.

Seems to me that they are trying to squelch those who engage in the above. They're p.o'd that they don't have the power to pick and choose publication of complaints--like they do with regard to letters to the editor.

Update: Here's my email to Worley:

The Tulsa World’s legal harassment of the blog “The Bates Line” goes against generally accepted journalistic ethics, which specifically call on newspapers to:

• Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.
• Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.

Are you saying that the only way to do this is through your restricted venue, the letters to the editors? That’s not sufficient, and it is not fair. Technology is changing the way people gather their news and opinion, and if the Tulsa World thinks it can alter this momentum with legal threats, it will find that it cannot. I’m afraid you may be in for a blog-swarm of criticism, because an action like yours is a foolish effort to squelch public dialog and discourse.

I support copyright law, and am careful to give credit, to link and to excerpt, rather than copy full text. I rarely see cases where other bloggers do not follow the same code – so your challenge has no merit and should be withdrawn.

Laer Pearce
Cheat-Seeking Missiles