KyKurmudgeon

When I ventured out here into the blogosphere 18 months ago, I quickly realized that I needed to explain a few rules to visitors who submit comments for posting. You can read my full rant on the subject by clicking on the Rules category in the left rail.

I am prompted to draw your attention to those rules because a comment submitted today violated one of them. As I always do when that happens, I deleted the comment instead of posting it for the world to see.

Of course, if that visitor would like to make his (or her) same points without the schoolyard taunting, I’ll be happy to post the comment. Because the No. 1 rule of KyKurmudgeon is that everyone can speak their minds here - as long as they keep the conversation civil.

UPDATE: Accusing someone of lying simply because they’ve stated an opinion still qualifies as schoolyard taunting.

I know there are sites out there (out here?) in the blogosphere that allow virtually anything to be posted. This is not one of those blogs. This is a blog operated by a journalist, and it will observe some of the basic rules of journalism. After a couple of months of blogging and accepting or rejecting comments from visitors, I believe it’s necessary to explain a couple of those rules.

Rule No. 1 for any responsible journalist is that you avoid libeling folks. To illustrate that with a current issue of some interest to Kentucky, it could be considered libelous to unequivocally equate acceptance of those pardons issued by Gov.Ernie Fletcher with an admission of guilt on the part of the folks who were pardoned. While it may create a negative public perception about them, only a court of law can find them guilty.

Rule No. 2 involves the tastefulness of postings. Now, I will not be as persnickety as a family newspaper might be about George Carlin’s seven infamous words, although you better write something that makes Shakespeare look like a hack before I let you drop the F-bomb. (Screwed works just as well anyway.) If you’re pissed off or think something is total bullshit, tell me about it. But where I will draw the “good taste line” is when you get tasteless in derogatory remarks about someone else.

In applying these rules, I’m not going to edit postings to clean them up. I have no interest in rewriting others’ words. I’ll just click on “Delete.”

Hope this explains to a couple of recent visitors why a post or two never made it onto the blog. I welcome new comments from you. Just remember the rules.