A Newsvine Critique

Newsvine.com is a information service that caters to independent reporting by a group of citizen journalists who occupy columns in a environment of cooperation and who adhere to a nearly sacred “Code of Honor.” The Coh (code of honor) is something that has produced an environment where people of various backgrounds can write the news and share analysis in a free form dialogue that has no boundaries in a stated ideology. As this, it is effective, to a degree. I have been on the service and I have been assailed with constant charges that I am doing things in violation to this code. I have been told to act in ways that I consider groveling and demeaning to stay in good stead with this code. The CEO sent me a message that if I acted as though I were not always right I would get along better at the Newsvine.

This advice struck me as running counter to the ways I have been taught to write. Good writing takes a point of view and builds an argument, and tries to persuade others to agree. This has been a sticking point for me ever since.

Other features of the Coh are that a ‘viner’ as the other users refer to each other, is never to insult another viner. This has resulted in a kind of default to fascism among the Newsvine population, who can attack, and insult, the weakest members of the group, and then tell them they are violating the code when they try to defend themselves from these attacks.

The Coh has a prohibition against advertising and self promotion. It makes sense that they did not put this service on the internet to become a spam assistant for anyone who wanted to come along and use it that way. This prohibition has been used to prohibit communications inside Newsvine from one user to another that are only intended to promote what are clearly only Newsvine agendas. Correspondence of the same kind between established Newsvine users is never subjected to any moderation. These are the moderators, after all, and they need to take care of their normal duties.

The technology of the service is a pleasure, and the enjoyment of making an attractive, and immediate contribution to the internet feels like one is being productive. Once when my account was taken from me, and it looked like I would not be able to continue, I really had a sense of loss.

Once the articles began to move a bit, I dreamed of having my own feature writing success, to parallel the minute cast of stars that dominate Newsvine. It strikes me that there are only a handful of actual persons who seem to gain the most attention. They own the majority of groups, and though anyone may start one, the vine remains in a state of stagnation, with only a few moderators, as columnists are also referred, who achieve a star like aura for their contributions.


My problems at the service are interpersonal. I have a group that has been actively following my work with interest, who are not my supporters. They post comments on my articles that are never more than attacks on the content. They say that I am only interested in myself, and making trouble. I have been pigeon-holed to the religion column for writing about atheism and my Christian philosophy.

The charge that I am making trouble is impossible for me to disprove because I have been under a steady attack since I first had anyone notice me as a viner.