Add a link...it takes a blink!

Just a blink and you'll be catapulted in a whole universe of information. That's the magic of linking, the right answer to the web-writers dilemma: keeping the balance between the unlimited space in the web and limited time and the impatience of the audience.

The temptation of linking often strikes woth what is called "the ethic of the link", a list of ethic criteria suggested by the Poynter Institute. These guidelines are a precious tool for the reporter to make his way through texts, images and videos without compromising accuracy, credibility, honesty, transparency and independence.

Beware of ...

The secret to limit unwanted consequences lies in testing the newsworthingness of linking by following some essential steps:

• is the information povided in the link relevant to the main story?
• is the the link content or format struggling with your news organization's values and ethics?
• is the link trustworthy?
• can the link content be offensive?
• is there the risk of plagiarism?
  

And be aware of...
In websites - as in the other media - the author has the responsibility of the contents he's giving to the reader and the way of presenting them.

He should never undervaluate the impact od the subjects covered in the main story and supported by the link, and the power of images.
Linking to images implies choices requiring a considerable understanding of the audience and of its possible reactions, as this monthly column in News Photographers shows. Evaluating the consequences of a wrong choice can be extremely difficult.


Linking without sinking
The potentially unlimited ocean of information a link opens is great. It gives access to original sources and additional information relevant to the news.

As Jay Rosen says in describing the ethics of the link, linking means "building out the potential of the web to link people" and "connecting people to knowledge wherever it is.

But there's a risk. The risk of getting lost in an ocean of images, videos, texts, links, links to links... making it hard to foresee the implications of every single link. That's the reason why the writer should always be aware of the content of the link he's using to support his story.


Linking is not just a matter of catching the readers' attention in thousands of news and information.
It's a matter of keeping the reader's attention focused on your story and give him credible, accurate and transparent b - though in a simple and clear style - news and stories.