There seems to be a self-imposed sense of respect towards other writers within the blogging world; however, as bloggers we open ourselves up to a wide range of possibilities, including the possibility that others will lack respect. An e-friend of mine, Clementine @ Invincible Summers, recently had the misfortune of such an experience.

Jim Edwards, a writer for CBS Interactive’s bnet, recently penned a quick overview to Kim’s interview with a Pharma sales person and called her “insane”

Mr. Edwards is not offering an opinion but rather making a statement about Kim, a statement that he did not substantiate. Does that not sound like libel to you? (Slander being the spoken version)

Maybe the comment was meant to be sarcastic but if that was the case why would he title this comment “The Crap that sales reps have to put up with”? That, to me, is evidence Mr. Edwards is not employing sarcasm but rather making a statement bordering on a personal attack. Seeing the site Jim writes for is owned by CBS Interactive, I would like to know if that company also believes Kim is insane and how do they arrive at that conclusion?

Yes, we place ourselves in a position where the world can criticize our views, our beliefs and our experiences, which is fair, but when false and defamatory information is published – especially by a large media organization – the line of acceptability is crossed.

This behavior is unacceptable by any blogger, let alone large media organizations. Any and all credibility bnet ever had with me is now lost unless actions are taken on their part to correct the situation.