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The Daily OrangeA new generation of gossip | Web site Juice Gossip invokes free speech issues
By Bill McMillan
Posted: 3/28/08, 12:56 AM EST Section: News
Bob Lloyd, a professor of practice for newspaper and magazine journalism, stressed the factors that can make the Internet both an open forum for ideas and a place where users take advantage of online identity.
"In principal, in general, I think that the anonymity of the Internet can be a strength in many cases, but in this case where you post comments about other people without any kind of accountability I think is wrong," he said. "I believe that people ought to stand up and be able attach their name to whatever opinion they have, and to not do that actually borders on cowardice."
While the Internet can be an important source for discussion, Lloyd said, it could also be a place that causes more harm than good.
"I believe that the anonymity that this site will grant someone will prove to be more hurtful than helpful to society," Lloyd said. "It gives you free license to be mean, to be nasty and to say hurtful things that don't actually help society, but actually tear down the social fabric."
Michael Cree, a graduate student in the magazine, newspaper and online journalism program disagreed, saying the site does no more or less good than most others on the Internet.
"I suppose it's just a good a reason for a Web site as any," he said. "It's a bit of fun. I wouldn't really take it particularly seriously. I'm sure if it was completely defamatory in any way, then maybe you'd be wanting to take it down."
Jordan Meddy, a graduate student in broadcast journalism, said Juicy Campus isn't the first of its kind.
"In my undergrad, we had this thing called 'The Gossip Server,' which was basically this Web site where you could just post things anonymously about people," he said. "It was pretty funny."
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