Is blogging dangerous?

15Nov08

I was interested to hear on the news yesterday that a Burmese blogger was jailed for 20 years for speaking out against what was happening there. The blogger had provided an invaluable insight into events in the country.

And this seems to be far from an unusual occurrence. In September a Moroccan was jailed for two years for insulting the King of Morocco on his blog - he was released after ten days following a public and media outcry, which also saw a facebook group petitioning against his imprisonment. And a Singaporean blogger was jailed in the same month for insulting a high court judge. Malaysian government meanwhile blocked access to a popular news site and blog Malaysia Today.

The Global Network Initiative has been established to try and create a collaborative approach to protect a person’s freedom of expression against their domestic laws.

I better be on my best behaviour whilst writing this blog then …


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3 Responses to “Is blogging dangerous?”  

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  1. 1 Richard Bailey on November 16, 2008 said:

    Did you know that your blog is banned in Turkey? According to a Turkish postgraduate student and blogger, all WordPress.com blogs are blocked because one blogger used WordPress to insult modern Turkey’s founding father Ataturk. It’s rather like all pubs being closed in our country because someone in a pub somewhere said something insulting about the Queen.

    But the risks of blogging come much closer to home. There are many employees who have been sacked for blogging – and most haven’t used it as a springboard to a literary career like La Petite Anglaise.

    Yet with risks come rewards. I continue to learn of graduating students being hired because they’ve demonstrated they understand social media and the power of online networking – and emploloyers have actively sought them out.

  2. 2 deborahprblog on November 16, 2008 said:

    There are more mundane concerns listed on an http://www.idiotsguidetoblogging.com/2008/04/professional-ca.html.

    Some employers are relaxed about allowing access to the internet – some still see it as a big ‘no no’! It probably says more about their attitude to employees.

    For whole cultures or countries to censor communications is really dire!

  3. 3 deborahprblog on November 16, 2008 said:

    …and at the opposite extreme, Barack Obama is demonstrating his country’s enthusiasm for new media by promising weekly ‘fire-side chats’ on YouTube: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/16/obama-white-house-barackobama


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