Unmasking an anonymous blogger can ruin your reputation and threaten your career
Last week the anonymous, many-headed beast of the blogosphere was once again stirred into full fury after a High Court judge allowed the naming of Horton, the serving police constable who wrote as Night Jack. Mr Justice Eady said blogging was a “public rather than a private activity” and Horton would not automatically be guaranteed anonymity just for writing under a pseudonym.
Horton, whose vivid description of the day-to-day life of a copper had won the Orwell prize for political writing earlier this year, has received a written warning from his constabulary that some of his posts fell short of the professional standards expected of police officers.
The backlash on the internet against the ruling has been ferocious. That’s not to say there have not been many well argued and engaging debates on the nature of anonymity and its benefits. (Rightly so: you have only to look at the extraordinary blogs coming out of Iran to see that the case for anonymity can be overwhelming.)
Exposing him to the powers that be served no public interest and leaves the Times looking decidedly unworthy of the public's trust. I for one, will not be purchasing the times again.
I might attempt, as recession bites, try and find an old copy to wipe my bum on.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that someone has started to focus on me and I'm not fucking happy about it. Apart from having a video removed from YouTube I appear to have attracted interest from the DTP too.
ReplyDeleteWell, they can fuck off!
Too scratchy for me. I put some in the cat's litter tray and she ran outside in the rain. She wouldn't come back until I took it out and binned it.
ReplyDeleteThey got us all running scared. No. Fuck them!
ReplyDeleteNo more Times / Sunday Times in this house. Not even a copy to show the grandchildren how "it used to be"..
ReplyDeleteThe Times? FUCK OFF!
ReplyDeleteIndeed. And long may they continue to do so.
ReplyDelete