Scientific and Credible Blogger
Ghost blogging Revisited
Will scientific writing/blogging earn you a carte blanche (blank card) towards credibilty? This question raised in the midth of controversies specially in the case of ghost or anonymous blogger. In my opinion, it could be yes and/or no. It depends a lot on which subjects your writing are. There are many instances where scientific writings/bloggings will automatically earn you credibility and honour you deserve.
But a lot of examples in which writing scientifically is not enough. Readers and common sense need to know what position you stand for. Credibility more often than not is very much to do with whether there’s self-interest in it or not.
For example, when I made Jennie S. Bev and Maya Nasution as Blogger of the Week, I support their decision to keep staying abroad with several arguments. If my arguments considered valid and make sense, then my pieces on that matter could be regarded as “scientific.” Yet, it’s not automatically earn me credibilty. A commenter on those pieces asked me, whether I also intend to stay abroad after study, which is not. That will gain me credibilty, because I support a good cause not for my own self interest, but for the interest of all.
Likewise, when an Indonesian blogger talk noisily all the time about terrorism and ‘persecution’ of minority community in Indonesia, of course with many quotes from some online newspapers every now and then, the writings could be considered as “scientific” but not automatically credible. One still needs to see what the blogger stands for: if he/she’s a Muslim, he could be considered as a very credible blogger because he campaign for justice of others i.e. the minority community (non Muslims), and there’s no self-interest involved. Not the other way around. So, if the blogger concerned hiding his/her face under the sun, credibility is simply not there.
That’s why prominent figures like Gus Dur the fourth Indonesian President gains international acknowledgement for his unselfish support to justice for all in Indonesia just like the late Nurcholis Madjid and Azyumardi Azra now rector of UIN (state islamic university) Jakarta who support the spirit of pluralism, themselves drink, live and eat as pluralist.
So, credibility is very much to do with neutrality and objectivity plus scientificity in making argument. Being neutral or in order to make readers know that you’re in neutral position, one needs to know where your “by birth” position is, in the first place. Clarity of identity in this regards, at least in my opinion, is a must.
The latest example is in case of RUU APP (anti-porn bill). You can read many opinions for and against it in blogs and media. You can judge yourself which of them can be regarded as scientific and credible, or scientific only, or just a junky arguments you’d like to get it away quickly.