I was forwarded an article written by Shel Holtz this afternoon on “maybe not all blogs should be journalism“, and this topic is obviously one that is quite dear to my heart. Are bloggers journalists? Certainly not in all cases, and as an athlete at the 2004 Olympics I blogged and I kept a separate journal (not blogging per se, but everything I wrote ended up online), but was I ever a journalist? No. Sure, there were things in my blog that were exclusives as I posted photos from inside the village (the only no-no that I blatantly disobeyed). I was not told that I couldn’t blog, but not told that I could.
All the answers I received were ambigious, so I decided to go with my gut and do what I wanted to do. I wanted to share everything that I was doing with my family, and being so far away, blogging just made sense. Not only that, but millions of others felt the same way about what I was doing. They were seeing what I was seeing. Seeing that athletes are not just athletes, and from my blog I let millions into my head as I moved towards competing in the most important athletic event the world has to offer.
Of the 1000+ emails I received during the Games, not one said that I was doing a bad thing, and all thanked me for such a candid look. Yet, there were protractors – namely the IOC, and as I stated in a post from August 20, 2004 I had my rights to blog:
What does this mean? CNN and the USA Today have gotten into the fray of writing on blog banning, but still not a worry here, as CNN states:
“The International Olympic Committee is barring competitors, as well as coaches, support personnel and other officials, from writing firsthand accounts for news and other Web sites. An exception is if an athlete has a personal Web site that they did not set up specifically for the Games.”
An explanation? Not quite good enough for me:
“The IOC’s rationale for the restrictions is that athletes and their coaches should not serve as journalists — and that the interests of broadcast rightsholders and accredited media come first.”
I state again, do we not have first amendment rights to tell our fans what we are living and seeing? It is the Olympics. A moment, I believe, that should be shared with the world.
To this day, I stand by those comments I made almost a year and a half ago. If I were to have another opportunity to do this again, I would – in a heartbeat. It is not that I enjoy taking a stand, but that I feel that my voice matters and that that should not be taken away from me or anyone else.
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) stance on blogging reeks of monopoly, censorship, and a blatant disregard to freedom of speech. They look to cripple all those who may have something interesting to say about the Olympics, something that is not mass produced. A look inside – a personal touch, so to speak. The IOC almost reminds me of China with their ban on blogging (or close). What the IOC is looking for is more money, more vacation homes, more parties, and more bribe money. That is their concern. It really has nothing to do with the fact that we bloggers could be construed as journalists. They are worried that we may make some money off of the attention (make it known, I made no money during the 2004 games – I did not place advertising on this site until afterwards).
Yes, I am opinionated. Yes, I am against a ban of any form, and yes, I will answer your questions.
