Your Mumsnet comments used in news

[godzilla]

How do you feel about your comments on Mumsnet discussions being used in newspapers or TV news? I'll be totally straight - I work for the BBC and I'm researching journalism ethics, but I am a mother of 3 and a regular Mumsnet user.

No one has really worked out yet whether consent is required before lifting comments from blogs. It became a big issue after the Virginia Tech shootings because student bloggers were angry about their comments being broadcast. Newspapers have recently used Mumsnet comments on the Madeline McCann story discussing whether it is acceptable to leave kids in hotel rooms.

Please let me know what you think about your comments being used. Should we be asking first, or once they are on the web is it fair game?

Actually does MN get a cut (or at least give permission) when people quote us in their columns?

Still remember the glow of combined shock and pride when I saw my recommendation of a Boden school anorak in G2...

I think I was quoted once in The Telegraph saying Hubba Hubba about David Cameron

oh NO the hsame

arf

Hulababy - that has JUST happened to me!!! I posted a thread about something and I received a letter from the people concerned saying 'having just read your comments etc'.

I have spoken with MNHQ and they are being really good - hopefully I will get my name deleted on all previous messages. I just hate it that my anonyminity is no more....

Does that mean that it's usually OK to quote, but not acceptable to make contact?

I don't care.

When you post on the www, it could get anywhere, and anyone with a modicum of common sense would realise that - if not, well, they really should find some other medium of self-expression.

Caveat emptor.

Gosh, apeainapod, how on earth did they get your address?! As a journalist, if I wanted to talk to someone about a post, I'd use CAT to check if they were happy to discuss. They would obviously be free to ignore/say 'no'/whatever.

I didn't realize that the words journalist and ethical could be used in the same sentence .

Seriously though, I think it's fair game. If you're not prepared to be quoted, then you shouldn't make public comments, because essentially that's what they are. Personally if I were quoted in the papers I would be so that I wouldn't be bothered about caring.

The Observer once published huge bits of my blog. Made a big feature of it and had it on their website as well.

I didn't know till someone emailed me and said "I think its you in The Observer". I was very shocked and I do wish they'd at least told me beforehand.

I was quite chuffed actually. Went round telling everyone

Oh yeah so in answer to the op - I think its fair game but it would be good manners to tell/ask you first.

Fair game if it's posted on the www I think but it's polite to ask first. Mn have copyright in all submissions too so journos should remember that.

If MN are to be held liable as "publishers", then surely they have copyright, and as such - authority should be sought from them first?

If someone wanted to use a post/story of mine, I wouldnt have a problem with it as long as a) they contacted MNHQ first b) then contacted me either directly via CAT or through MNHQ.

Unless of course the law is changed wrt authors of posts and who is responsible. MNHQ I am sure would be interested in this thread......

Mumsnet Disclaimer page

Quote from main Talk page:

"Please note that Mumsnet has copyright in all submissions to the chat board, and reserves the right to edit and re-publish these in print form."

Mumsnet Copyright page

I think those 3 together just about cover it.

I dont have a problem with things I've said being published but I feel that permission should be sought from MNTowers.

godzilla, I would try to get morning papers's views. I seem to remember her writing elsewhere about how distressing it was to hear her words spoken by actors on the tv news. Hers was a situation I would never like to be in.

Surely there's an issue if a paper is presenting a handful of MN posts as respresentative of the website or of mums as a whole? There were some pretty unpleasant posts on here, which they could have quoted and then said 'look, this is what mums think of what's happened'. I would hope that if they were going to quote MN that they'd get an overview of different opinions, or state that these were just a tiny handful of posts.

lovin it

I've always assumed that anything I say on the boards belongs to Mumsnet - so I would assume that the BBC or whoever should contact Mumsnet

Regarding Blogs, I don't know - what an interesting question!