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In an effort to protect consumers, the FTC is alre...

Submitted by Mcwflint from Google Reader

Jul 21, 2009

Summary

In an effort to protect consumers, the FTC is already looking at bloggers and how they are compensated. They are scrutinizing how bloggers are working with firms that provide free products, firms that pay bloggers to write favorable reviews and other issues regarding transparency.

Many bloggers are making a killing in freebies and pay-to-post. They have no more place in the editorial section of a legitimate news provider than a snake oil salesman, yet many editors/content directors aren't asking tough questions because the the copy is free.

Readers have a right to know if a blogger received, say, a case of wine for review. Then the reader can decide if he/she wants to trust the blogger.

This plagued dead-tree journalism, too. Papers that were too cheap to hire a good travel writer but wanted content to preserve the ad revenue from the airlines and travel agencies just bought freelance copy. Many of these freelance writers accepted free junkets by the very venues they were writing about in exchange for glowing reviews. Readers had no idea they were mulling vacat ...Read the full article

Comments (1)

Mcwflint,

Jul 21, 2009

annarbor.com asked to take leadership role against bloggers freebies