Legal Commentary

Hat Tip Policy

By Ilya Somin

Sometimes, readers e-mail with stories and issues that they suggest I should blog about. If I choose to write a post about the issue the reader suggests, I will credit the reader in the resulting post with a ?hat tip,? as these things are called in the blogosphere. Most readers seem to like getting this kind of credit, or at least don?t object. In recent weeks, however, a couple of readers whom I credited in this way later e-mailed me to say that they preferred to remain anonymous.

So I would like to announce the following rule: If you send me in a tip or story, but you don?t want me to credit you for it, please say so in your initial e-mail. If you do, I promise to respect your desire for anonymity. Otherwise, I will assume that you prefer to get public credit for your suggestion, or at least don?t mind. I think ?opting out? of hat tip credit is a better rule than ?opting in? because many more readers seem to like getting credit than want to avoid it.

I should also note that this is just my personal policy, and I don?t speak for Eugene Volokh or the other VC bloggers, many of whom probably have their own procedures.

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on January 26, 2010 (boomark / email).