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The Singapore Law Society broke ground this week by fining a lawyer S$1,000 for giving his views on an ongoing case on his blog.

As reported in The Straits Times:

Mr Alfred Dodwell was taken to task by the society for ‘publicly promoting his view of the witnesses and the merits of an ongoing court proceeding, albeit through the medium of blogs’.

The action, reflected last week in the Government Gazette, was taken as Mr Dodwell ‘had failed to meet the standard of conduct befitting’ a lawyer.

Although no names were mentioned, Mr. Dodwell’s blog entries had enough key details for affected parties to recognize the case, the newspaper reported.

In a follow up story, journalist Serene Luo The Straits Times highlighted that Social Media policy is a new area of concern, well beyond lawyers and doctors, with many companies hastily creating new media guidelines for employees.

Speaking personally, I have had my own fair share of run-ins with new media. In the first instance Facebook ended my marriage and in another Twitter scooped my new job announcement.

Neither one had dramatic consequences on my life, but they served as reminders of new media’s power.