PJS Ethics

When I started this blog a few months back a good friend of mine opined that it would be a matter of weeks before I lost interest. Now about 100 posts later, I wish I had taken him up on his offer to place a wager.

I write this today to tell you all that I plan to do this for the long term. I've had quite a bit of fun the past few months. And I didn't imagine how many people would find their way here. I thought to myself, 'Who in the world would go to a blog called 'Paging Jim Shikenjanski.' Well, many of you have come. In the early days, I was pleased when 20 people stopped by on any given day. Now, just a few months in, and still in the offseason, the number is usually up around 200. So, to start, I'd like to say thank you to those who stop by here a few times a week.

But I'd also like to spell out a handful of ground rules for myself. As someone who went to journalism school, I know readers come to a Web site for a service. Maybe it's to be entertained. Maybe it's for information. Maybe it's just to waste 20 minutes at work. Whatever the case may be, I feel that I should be held accountable like a traditional media outlet should. So, I'll try to lay out here a few rules I'm creating for myself. And if I should ever break them, I hope that my faithful readers will take me to task.

Postings

•• My goal has been to update this site at least 5 times per week. Most weeks I've been able to accomplish that. If I'm going to be busy or away, I'll always try to let you know.

•• I will write about the Minnesota Golden Gophers more than 90 percent of the time. That said, I follow all Minnesota sports relentlessly and might not be able to resist the itch to scratch all the time.

•• As the football season begins, I will try and provide you with live blogs during the games, previews and reviews.

•• I reserve the right to bring on contributors. I'm talking to a friend of mine to write about Gopher hockey. I follow Don Lucia's squad, but I can speak far more intelligently about football and basketball then hockey.

•• If you want to write a guest post, or perhaps be a contributor, I'll certainly entertain the idea.

•• I will try not to curse.

•• I will not get upset about the outcome of one particular game and come to my keyboard to rant and rave. I will try always to keep things in some perspective, while at the same time leveling a fair dose of criticism.

•• If I publish a stupid post I regret, I will not take it down. You can judge me on what I've written. I'll probably make mistakes, but I won't hide them when I do.

•• I'll keep posts about my personal life to a minimum.

Comments

•• I will not delete comments criticizing me, my opinions or my posts.

•• I will delete comments that are laced with profanity.

Ethics

•• I will do everything I can to verify what I write. That doesn't mean I won't print a rumor I've found elsewhere. But as sources contact me with information, I will double check that. And I will make sure if something is alleged, it's reported that way and not as a statement of fact.

•• If I make an error, I will run a correction on the post it was on. I'll ask for some slack on minor typos and grammatical errors.

•• I will not self-promote. By that, I mean I will not go to other forums or blogs and write 'Check me out.' If someday I get a side writing gig with, say, Rotoworld, I will not gloat.

Bloggers

•• If you're a blogger, I'll link to you if I cite your work.

•• I haven't asked anyone to include me on their sidebar. I find it somewhat tactless to do so. If you have a blog that you'd like me to link to, let me know you exist and I'll check you out.

•• If I bash your blog, I probably meant it. But I'll try to go out of my way to give bloggers the benefit of the doubt. But I'll assuredly disagree with things I've seen written, so expect a few random potshots.

Other Random Promises

•• I will not call for someone to be fired—this does not include Kevin McHale—unless they have put together a track record of futility.

•• I will take tremendous joy in any sports-related turmoil happening in Madison.

•• I will remember that the players I write about are kids, and will not get personal with them. That doesn't mean I won't criticize their performance.

•• I won't be your home for rah-rah Minnesota Gophers coverage. I'm not a fan of sugar coating mistakes. I'll try to call a spade a spade. Dick Bremer I am not.

•• If you e-mail me, I will respond.

•• I will try to work with other bloggers to advance the blogging community. That might mean seeking access to sources.

•• By day, I'm a political junkie, and have recently taken a job as a media consultant to political campaigns. I will keep this site free of partisan politics.

I reserve the right to add to this list. And I invite your comments, suggestions and emails about this list. My goal is to have fun here, but to do it with a semblance of professionalism.