Something happened to my family last week that made headline news.
The event was horrifying and completely changed our life.
To make the situation worse, the Associated Press found a blog. A supposedly anonymous blog made by a family member. She's never used names, but she did include pictures and bits and pieces of personal information that the majority of bloggers write about.
A reporter found her blog, took the information she'd written and used it for their Front Page news story. There was no need to confirm the information. It cited her blog.
My mother immediately privatized her blog. I was out of town without internet access, but I contemplated doing the same until the media blitz calmed down....but finally decided my blog was really inconsequential to the situation. There was nothing written here they could use.
But it taught me a valuable lesson. Anonymous blogs don't exist. If the Associated Press can find my sister's blog and use it for their news story (how did they even know she had one?) then they will do the same to anyone.
The written word is a powerful tool. And for the first time, I've seen, first hand how dangerous it can be for the writer.
And this is NOT an April Fool's Joke. I'm dead serious.





