The Ethics Scoreboard’s task of promoting ethical consideration and clarity in American life requires it periodically safari through the jungle of opinion, news, tips, invective, insight, links and navel-gazing that is the web log (“blogs”) scene. One of the rising stars in the blogger firmament is the political gossip and arch commentary source “Wonkette,” actually a sort of a super-blog, as it actually has a staff. Imagine Samuel Pepys with a proof-reader, fact-checker, and designer.

Anyway, the writer and wit behind the site, Anna Marie Cox has added to the still-evolving ethical tools of the blog trade by creating and using an icon to distinguish between commentary based on stories developed and reported by others and stories based on her own reporting. The distinction is an important one, and her icon, which reads “real reporting,” deserves to catch on in Blogland even though, as Cox accurately points out, this site has always made the distinction clear. But this is not the case elsewhere, illustrating a sad truth: those who police their ethics most thoroughly are never the ones who need policing. But bloggers need role models too, so the Scoreboard extends its approval to Ms. Cox by declaring her an Ethics Hero.