Bloggers are Being Held to a Higher Standard

I believe transparency is one of the core values that public relations professionals must subscribe to in order to practice their craft with integrity and effectiveness, so it will come as no surprise that I am broadly supportive of the new Federal Trade Commission rules that will require bloggers and other social media participants to reveal when they have been provided with free product samples in exchange for product reviews.

I note that the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, which is doing great work raising and promoting ethical and professional standards in the fledgling social media arena, was quick to voice its support for the new rules.

But I would take issue with two elements of The New York Times reporting of this story.

First, the Times says, "the government is intent on bringing to bear on the Internet the same sorts of regulations that have governed other forms of media, like television or print."

But unless I am missing something--someone correct me if I am--there is no regulation forcing a mainstream print reporter to indicate he has received a free copy of the book he is reviewing, a free copy of the software he writes about, or a free flight to a factory he later writes about. Nor is there any regulatory requirement that a television reporter acknowledge a free ticket to a movie she reviews or a free stay at a resort she writes about. (Many, if not most, new organizations have their own guidelines, but that's a separate issue.)

So in this respect, bloggers are being held to a higher standard than other media, not the same standard.

Second, the Times says, "for bloggers who review products, this means that the days of an unimpeded flow of giveaways may be over."

I'm not sure this is true. In fact, savvy marketers will welcome disclosure, as will bloggers who value their credibility. The latter will presumably continue to review products, while acknowledging the largesse of companies involved, and as long as their reviews reflect their true opinions, they will retain and perhaps even enhance their credibility. Since credibility is precisely the quality smart marketers hope to receive in return for their products, those bloggers will continue to receive a steady flow of freebies.