Bloggers as Amateur Journalists and Their Position under the Regulatory System of the Press in The UK

Abstract

Blogs are web-based publications that are frequently updated and usually shown in reverse chronological order. They play a significant role as ‘watchdog to watchdog’ (mainstream media) by providing information from many sources, revealing media bias and influencing opinion on a wide scale vision called ‘participatory media’. Sometimes, blogs disseminate first-hand reports and details which the mainstream media ignore or have too little preference or time to investigate. Nonetheless, blogs published by amateurs or individuals who are not associated with any media corporations are merely subjected to general laws such as defamation, sedition and many others, but they are currently notregulated by any specific regulatory regime. This uncertainty becomes more complicated as convergence and digital technology have facilitated journalists from the traditional print media to emulate and establish their presence in the blogosphere as well. And these professional bloggers who are directly attached to media establishments and have their blogs appeared on the companies’ websites are subjected to the rules and regulatory controls of the print media which is under the supervision of the Press Complaints Commission (the PCC). As such, this study seeks to highlight the importance and role of blogs in relation to journalism, to analyse the self-regulatory system of the PCC in connection with the governance of blogs in the UK and to evaluate the possibility of applying or extending relevant legal principles and standards to bloggers in the country.