The Ethics of Blogging

I saw this blog as a way for me to sort through or process my practice. Plus I love writing and find it a comforting way for me to process and share. I've been telling friends that I started this blog, and for the most part the response was interest, neither positive nor negative. One well-respected friend, though, had a strong reaction to my writing a blog about sharing my practice and questioned how responsible that was. This has been a troubling question I've been working with ever since. Is it harmful to myself and others to publish my personal engagement with practice in such a public venue? There are other people who write blogs and others who write about practice. What are my responsibilities to the truth and my private thoughts and feelings? Is this helpful?

In the early 2000s, I spent about six years as a copyeditor for a trade magazine. I not only edited articles, but I also authored content. I never studied journalism in school, and in fact approach writing from an artist's background and perspective. I take truth-seeking writing very seriously, though, and was introduced to the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics by one of my colleagues and friends. You can find the full code, PDFs, and its history on the Society of Professional Journalists Website: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

The SPJ states that this code is an ethical guide, and although respected and upheld by many, it is not intended as a set of rules nor is it legally enforceable. With that disclaimer, there are four headings with itemized specifics underneath of how one can approach journalism ethically. I find these guidelines resonate strongly with me. The main journalistic precepts are: Seek Truth and Report It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently, and Be Accountable.

The messages conveyed through these precepts and their itemized details have to do with mindfulness, compassion, and wise speech/right speech. In seeking the truth, one needs to be truthful in gathering information, understand that there are many perspectives to a situation and diligently research and give voice to all sides including the voiceless ones, take great care in presenting accurate information, and give credit to sourced information and not steal colleagues' work. Minimizing harm taps into our compassionate human nature by interacting with sources and subjects from an empathic place, respecting self and others, and letting go of focusing on recognition and fame. Acting independently means trusting your own intuition and presenting an unbiased story. It also addresses conflicts of interest and bribery. And finally, being accountable is about being human and doing one's best. It's about admitting mistakes and correcting them. It's about practicing the same standards that one holds others up to. All the things delineated as well as the implied meanings are things I can get behind, and I hope I can continue to practice with these in this blog. Let me know when I stray.

In the Zen Buddhist tradition, there are 16 bodhisattva precepts that practitioners work with regularly, including revisiting them during the Full Moon Ceremony. Of the sixteen, the first three are the Refuges (taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha), the following three are the Pure Precepts (avoiding evil, practicing good, and saving all beings), and the final ten are the Grave Precepts. These grave precepts can be organized into three groups, precepts involving body, speech, and mind. The precepts involving speech are, the fourth: not to lie (be truthful), the sixth: not to slander (speak out of lovingkindness when speaking of others), and the seventh: not to praise self at the expense of others (be modest). These precepts on working with speech wisely are at the foundation of the SPJ's code of ethics. Not lying is about seeking the truth and reporting it, not slandering is about minimizing harm, not praising self at the expense of others is taking accountability in admitting mistakes and abiding by the same standards I'm holding others to. Other precepts that align with the journalists' code are the second: not to steal, the fifth: not to intoxicate body or mind with substances or doctrines (promoting clarity and awareness), and the eighth: not to be avaricious (be generous). These can be associated with not plagiarizing, a commitment to clarity in truth, and a generosity in presenting all perspectives with an empathic understanding as well as not taking gifts in exchange for journalistic favors. With the bodhisattva precepts, there is also a sense of working with them as a guide, not hard and fast rules. Here these guidelines/precepts have been used over time to help end suffering, and are merely a suggestion with an offer to try them for yourself to see if you feel a lessening of your suffering. I think the SPJ's  code is also a way to steer away from suffering or difficulty.

The question remains, is writing this blog on my practice ethically responsible? It seems the answer depends on my approach. I want to share my personal story with you, victories and struggles alike. I don't want to harm anyone, including myself, by doing this. I take the bodhisattva precepts seriously, and although I haven't yet formally taken the precepts in a jukai ceremony, I do look at them and vow to work with them every month during the full moon ceremony. Ever since I was introduced to the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, I have been conscientious of ethics in my writing, even having left the magazine years ago. When we vow to save all beings, these beings are sentient and non-sentient. My understanding of non-sentient beings is everything else not alive, including inanimate objects and ideas and thoughts. Saving all beings is a non-harmful, compassionate act, and I hold my words with as much care. I hope  these words I offer bring compassionate understanding of my perspective of truth. The intent is lovingkindness.