Watch What You Say

Source: www.deeppencil.com

The New Straits Time (2010) reports a Malaysian blogger by the name of Aduka Taruna, who offended many people with his derogatory remark on the passing of the sultan of Johor was taken into custody. Taruna whose controversial post received more than 1000 comments of which were mostly comments expressing discontent to the point that he was threatened and was reported to authorities for drastic measure to taken against him. However, Taruna removed his post and made a public apology for his deed but even despite his effort, his apology was taken to be also offensive. The blogger now is he hiding after receiving death threats and according to Bernama, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will investigate and probe the case.

Aduka Taruna, apprehended. Source: lifeplu.wordpress.com

There’s nothing wrong in owning a blog and anyone who has one has are entitled exercise their freedom of speech but one must be careful what is said as it can destroy. As Wack (1995) cited Blackstone (1830), who affirmed, in regards to press freedom, that an individual indisputable right speak publicly their thoughts but warns against those who mentions anything seditious and out of line will have to be ready to face the music. They are of course certain rules or guidelines if you will, that will work for the advantage of both readers and bloggers.

There are many of these ‘guidelines’ or ‘ethics’ and after seeing a going through a few by different authors, I realized some of them shares something in common and I have summarize them together. Firstly, it is always important to take into consideration that before posting anything up, a blogger must understand that whatever is posted up, will be visible and available for the whole world to see and that personal rants will about someone will not make your blog favourable (Ng, 2007; Tan, 2007). The Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) provides a guarantee of no censorship of the Internet under the 10-pont Multimedia Bill of Guarantees (George, 2005). In spite of that, it does not mean that we can just blatantly say whatever is on our mind. This is where sensibility and common sense comes in. Like Taruna, who is an adult should know better than to speak blasphemy and worst to a honourable person who passed. A quote by Lord Chesterfield, a British Statesman in the late 16^th Century sums up the importance of speaking with prudence saying,

"There is nothing that people bear more impatiently, or forgive less, than contempt: and an injury is much sooner forgotten than an insult."

REFERENCES:

George, C 2005, ‘The Internet's Political Impact and The Penetration/Participation Paradox in Malaysia and Singapore’, Media, Culture & Society, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 903–920.

Lord Chesterfield 2010, BrainyQuote, viewed 11 November 2010, .

Ng, D 2007, Blog Etiquette: The Rules are Quite Simple, viewed 11 November 2010, <http://www.bloggingtips.com/2007/11/25/blog-etiquette-the-rules-are-quite-simple/>.

Shadiqe, J 2010, ‘Blogger held over insulting posting’, New Straits Times, 26 January, viewed 11 November 2010, <http://yquake.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/12eiss/Article/index_html>.

Tan, ZM 2007, Blogging etiquette: For Bloggers and Readers, viewed 11 November 2010, <http://www.suite101.com/content/blogging-etiquette-a22222>.

Wacks, R 1995, Privacy and Press Freedom, Blackstone, London.