1. Let's Not Rewrite History.
- Author
-
DeMaria, Michael J.
- Subjects
- *
ELECTRONIC publishing , *WEB development , *INTERNET , *LITERATURE , *WEBSITES , *PUBLISHING - Abstract
The article reports that in print publishing, one cannot physically change what has been set to paper, though the publisher may issue a revision or update. But online publishing, apparently, is a different story. In the past month, the author says that they have witnessed several acts of "unpublishing" by popular web comics creators: Controversial or critical articles that were posted on these Web sites were taken offline-or completely rewritten. The original posts vanished from those sites. It is one thing to correct inaccurate data, but unpublishing controversial material is cowardly. Critics and bloggers who respond to the previously published materials are left to debate in a vacuum, as the original document vanishes without a trace. The deletion of criticism from user forums is misleading and deceptive. Online publishers should be held to the same standards as print publishers, or the value of online content will be significantly diminished.
- Published
- 2005