Hard-Learned Lesson: Don't Try to Censor A Blogger: Memories fade, but the Internet is forever.
Murry N. Gunty found that out the hard way this summer. [...]
Stan Collender, a public relations specialist at Qorvis Communications LLC in the District, said the potential for bloggers to damage the reputation of a business or person is a growing concern.
"It's like pamphleteering on the corner, only its cheaper, quicker and vastly more broad," Collender said. "But unlike the traditional media, it's completely unregulated in that there's no fact checking, no editing. It has all the potential for creating a lot of damage to someone's or something's reputation very quickly, and it's almost impossible to eliminate it. Any unsubstantiated rumor has a very good chance of getting out there."
However, Collender said it is usually a mistake to try to squelch it.
"If you respond to this sort of thing you give it credit it doesn't deserve," he said.
