28 March 2007

Capito Entering Cyberspace? - UPDATED

UPDATE: The answer, it seems, is no.

But at least one blogger was questioning the announced plans of U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., to join his realm.

Buckeye State blogger Left of Ohio ("The political views and opinions of a young, liberal voter living in a battleground state") noted that Capito was slated to offer guest commentary today and Thursday at The Rail, the blog hosted by West Virginia Media Holdings.

"
Is it legal and/or ethical for a current member of Congress to write for a blog ran by a newspaper? Does this situation call for equal time for the opposite party? I'm not making a call one way or the other, I just find the situation interesting," this fellow writes.

I would note that newspapers routinely publish op-eds and columns from their local congresspeople. For some papers, they are a regular feature.

Members of Congress have also been blogging since at least 2005, my brief research shows. I also recall congressional candidates included blogs on their campaign web sites last year.

2 comments:

David said...

My specific worry was if the situation called for equal time for the other party since the blog was tied to a media outlet and she was supposed to be posting for several days. I don't have any problem with Representatives setting up their own blogs, I'd even encourage it. It's a great way for them to interact with their constituents.

opinionated said...

Every body needs an editor. Yea, verily. "to write for a blog ran by a newspaper"!! Surely Capito could do better, even if she is a native West Virginian.