Internet, a place for citizen journalism ?

Editor in chief Gerfried Sperl writes about the growing popularity of citizen journalism and its dangers. "Because blogging (less frequently) and posting (usually) are done anonymously, they can become instruments to achieve the opposite of freedom of opinion. Massive human rights violations are just one of the problems, minor irritations are another. Anyone can use the name 'George Bush' when posting. Was it him or wasn't it? How do Internet newspapers react? Sperl says postings are often checked to ensure that they are not in conflict with media laws or other aspects before they are published, but adds: "You can't be 100 percent sure. However many bloggers accept all kinds of postings because in the end they can't be held accountable. But at the same time they also put Internet journalism's credibility at risk."

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