BRENT TAYLOR - THE BIGOT LOYAL IRVING EMPLOYEE WHOLE COLUMN!!!

Taylor, originally uploaded by Oldmaison.

To be fair, I was sent just the part he wrote about moi. Here's the whole column.

Daily Gleaner | Brent Taylor - As published on page C8 on June 27, 2006

Bloggers can take their messages too far

Brent Taylor
REALITY CHECK

When they were popularized over a decade ago, Internet Web pages usually consisted of static, rather boring, billboards of information put up by companies, governments or other organizations. They acted like road signs or business cards - just sitting there.

Now, though, the World Wide Web has become much more dynamic. Web content can be updated instantly, by users who are sometimes on the move using wireless access.

No longer just the realm of big business and government, the Internet has become a popular vehicle for individuals, some of whom have now taken to creating online diaries, or Web logs, of their daily lives and observations.

These Web logs, or "blogs" for short, have been used by everyone from ordinary citizens to prominent public figures like politicians and entertainers. Local MP Andy Scott has a blog, although it has not been updated in almost a month. News reporters covering the 2006 federal election "blogged" while on the campaign trail. (Yes, blog has become a verb.)

In the United States, bloggers have played an increasingly important role in politics. Dan Rather's fall from grace at CBS, starting in 2004, was precipitated and maintained by bloggers, who tenaciously pursued the story of Rather's use of forged military records in attacking George W. Bush while the "legitimate" media ignored the story.

In Maine, earlier this year, blogger Lance Dutson was sued for defamation by the New York ad agency that holds the contract for the state's tourism campaign.

Dutson had exposed irregularities and shed light on some controversial subjects involving the ad agency and its relationship with the Maine Office of Tourism.

In May, after public pressure was brought to bear on the state government and the ad agency itself, the suit against Dutson was dropped.

Legitimate bloggers are fighting, and winning battles over their accreditation as true journalists.

Recently in California two bloggers won a court ruling confirming that they had as much right, under the First Amendment, to protect their confidential sources as did the print and broadcast media.

While some blogs are adding greatly to public discourse and forcing the mainstream media to keep up, the kook factor continues to rear its ugly head.

While serious bloggers go about their business with discipline and ethics, the kooks cast a pall over the whole medium.

Last week our legislature's administration committee had the unhappy task of banning a self-proclaimed blogger from the property of the assembly.

The directive from the sergeant-at-arms identified several grounds for the eviction, including the continued harassment of government employees at their workplace.

This "blogger" feels he has a right, as a journalist, to ply his craft - which apparently consists mostly of taking candid photos of politicians and private citizens and then posting them with accompanying commentary to his Web site - after some of the photos have been doctored and many of the articles laced with defamatory depictions and statements.

For instance, union representative Tom Mann wrote this newspaper last week defending the blogger's banishment, and was promptly termed a "bigot."

Similar libellous terms have been levelled against dozens of other New Brunswickers from all walks of life. There is no point in any of them suing this blogger, however, for he apparently has no assets and, therefore, nothing to lose.

Despite the kooks, blogging has become increasingly mainstream. In an effort to establish a set of principles to which legitimate bloggers would adhere, the Media Bloggers Association (MBA) was created to gather together those involved in the craft. The MBA adopted the following principles to be followed by its members: honesty, fairness, accuracy, transparency, accountability, trust, and, respect for the privacy of private citizens.

From a founding membership base of 22 blogs, the MBA has grown exponentially to now include 295 blogs, with new applications being received steadily.

To become a member of the MBA a blogger must, among other things, "have a demonstrated history of a serious commitment to blogging evidenced by blogging for more than several months, posting regularly and frequently, and writing posts of some reasonable level of quality."

The Fredericton blogger banned from the legislature would not even come close to meeting the standards set forth by the MBA.

He had previously applied for membership in the legislature's press gallery as a reporter.

The application was not approved, and rightly so.

As the phenomenon evolves the press gallery will, at some point, be presented with an application from a blogger that will be worthy of acceptance.

The MBA guidelines are a good start on what test ought to be applied to a blogger seeking to chronicle the political life of New Brunswick as a full member of the gallery.

Until then, both the legislature and its press gallery need not apologize for evicting harassers and disturbers. The MLAs, the public, and the employees themselves must have a safe and secure environment in which to come together to advance their legitimate causes and do the people's business.

Brent Taylor is a former C.O.R. MLA. He writes each Tuesday from Doaktown.