In this day and age of 24/7 media, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for readers to separate fact from fiction, and in a majority of instances in the blogosphere – fact from opinion. Having spent a number of years both reading and writing for various blogs, I’m very much aware of the legal liabilities that can occur from false accusations and the fabrication of sensational stories that misrepresent the truth.
I want to make something very clear to my readers. I manage my blog here, this very blog you’re reading, as a hobby. Although I’ve indeed written freelance articles for other blogs in the past, I earn zero profit writing for my own blog. I have no press credentials, nor am I affiliated with any organization that represents me and my work on either of the two blogs I maintain. But despite these things, I still recognize the many risks that anyone and everyone assumes by publishing content on the World Wide Web. I also understand that despite having no contractual obligations from those affiliations that often require a specific code of ethics to be honored and respected as it pertains to publishing content – I’m still subjected to the same degree of scrutiny as any writer or journalist who writes and publishes content for a living, be it a newspaper, magazine, or a blog article on the Internet such as this one.
I’m not sharing this statement on my blog today because of anything in particular… absolutely nothing has occurred to influence me to post this statement. On any given day, I might have all of 100 hits on my blog website, so obviously 99.999% of the world doesn’t even know that either of my two blogs even exist. Nevertheless, I do feel somewhat obligated to remind my readers that although I most always provide sources and links to various topics and newsworthy items, my commentary about those items, above and beyond providing the appropriate links and reliable sources, includes a great deal of personal opinion that should never, under any circumstance, be considered anything more than what it is. I enjoy writing and publishing my stories and opinions about golf and life, and it’s certainly my ambition to provide my reader’s with my perspectives on those two levels when I feel compelled to do so.
But I also recognize the importance of integrity, which is why I felt compelled to publish this statement this afternoon. Lots of controversial topics litter our worlds on a daily (if not hourly) basis today, moreso now than ever before. I would be foolish to assert that I don’t have opinions on those matters, but opinions they are no less.
As always, thanks for your time.
Scott
Scott's Golf Blog 