I am a writer, blogger, journalist, and opinion columnist. Whilst all of these things involve writing and communication, they are all in fact very different.
Recently, someone had beef with me because I blocked and deleted them from both my personal profile and my blog page. They irritated me, I didn’t have time for it, so I quietly removed them from my life and all of my social media platforms. Their argument is that as I am from a democratic country and a public figure, I am wrong to do this and I am infringing on their right to free speech. I call bullshit.
Yes everyone has a right to free speech, but with that right comes responsibility.and that responsibility includes not inciting hatred, not fabricating stories, and not conjuring up an alternate reality to suit your agenda. In the context of this dispute, I am a blogger- someone who set up a website off their own back and populates it with content that reflects their life and lifestyle. I am the sole owner and controller of the platform and as such, I have every right to decide who can interact with me. If you are abusive I will block you, if you swear I will block you, if you are racist/sexist/homophobic I will block you, and if you spout defamatory and untrue comments, you guessed it, I will block you too. This is not a journalistic platform, this is my life and as such I will decide whose shit I will put up with. I am not paid to do this work, it is my hobby and if I don’t like you or the nonsense you are spouting, I reserve every right to remove you.
When I write one of my opinion columns, I reserve the right to do the same. It is my space that I am being paid to write in, if I don’t like your response then I am entitled to say so. Furthermore, if you are abusive, a troll, using a fake profile, insulting someone, then again, I am more than within my rights to say as I see fit. I give as good as I get and if you are going to be ridiculous with your comments, then I will react in an appropriate manner which includes calling you out if you criticise and don’t suggest an alternative or better way of doing things.
When I write journalistic pieces- be they editorials, investigative pieces, or legal news and updates, I generally do not reply to comments, or even bother to follow the responses online. They are not an opinion, nor are they up for discussion; they are merely an imparting of public facts or events via an online platform. I am not overly interested in whether someone agrees or not because as I said, they are just a reporting of a news item or event. No discussion needed.
When it comes to the work I do for my clients, I prefer to remain anonymous; I am merely creating content for another entity, many of which pass it off as their own. On these platforms, the same as with newspapers and publications I write for, I do not have control over who comments and what they say- that is what a moderator is for. But when it comes to my own space and my own platform, I will have a say in who comments, and if you are a raging lunatic or simply trolling to elicit a response, I have every right to tell you what I think of you and then remove you if I choose.
This is also free speech; exercising my right to decide what I say and who I choose to engage with. I do not owe anyone anything, especially not my time, and if I don’t want to engage with you, I wont.. Arrogant? Maybe. Within my rights? Most definitely.
Whilst I might be a “journalist”, a blogger, a writer, and everything in between, this does not mean I am fair game for lies, libellous comments, and harassment. I have a limit, just like everyone else and under no circumstances am I obliged to take anyone’s nonsense, just because I have a popular website.
I will say it one more time; everyone has the right to free speech but I also have the right not to listen to it. If you are abusive or you lie to get attention, don’t expect me to pander to your misplaced sense of grandioseness. You can exercise your rights as much as you like but be aware that they come with the caveat of ethical implications, some of which are also protected by both civil and criminal law. Most people are also aware that making defamatory comments, or harassing people be it online or offline, is physically, emotionally, and spiritually harmful, and most refrain. For those that don’t, unfortunately there are consequences, one of which is Karma.
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