The Louisiana Board of Ethics will discuss political weblog regulation and ad placement at its Thursday meeting. Thomas Kates, Bogalusa City Council member, asked the ethics board for an advisory opinion on the regulation of blogs. His request resulted from a political post on the “Washington Parish Hard Copy Messageboard.” But Gray Sexton, Louisiana Ethics Administration executive director, told The Shreveport Times that the ethics board has no jurisdiction to regulate blogs. Additionally, Kathleen Allen, deputy general counsel for the board of ethics, told The Daily Reveille the issue was exaggerated because the board has been asked for an opinion not a ruling on the issue. This board believes the issue should not be included in the ethics board’s agenda. The discussion of possible weblog regulation is pointless. If the ethics board cannot offer a ruling on the issue, it should not make recommendations in an area it holds no jurisdiction. We believe Internet content should not be regulated because the Internet is an open forum that thrives on free and open discussion. In our opinion regulating the content of blogs violates the First Amendment protections concerning freedom of speech. It would also be illogical to regulate blogs because they can proliferate so quickly. The minute one blog is regulated or faces restrictions, another one – possibly by the same person who operated the original blog – can pop up on another blog. But we do believe information on blogs should be taken with a grain of salt. Like any information you receive, if you do not know the source to be a credible entity, it is foolish to take it at face value. The addition of this discussion to the ethics board’s agenda is not illegal, but it does suggest an alarming disregard for free speech we believe should be addressed.
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