Comments on: Is Disclosure Meaningless in the Blogosphere? http://www.drama20show.com/2008/09/16/is-disclosure-meaningless-in-the-blogosphere/ Keeping Tech Sexy Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:05:44 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Conflicts of Interest and Blogging http://www.drama20show.com/2008/09/16/is-disclosure-meaningless-in-the-blogosphere/comment-page-1/#comment-30449 Conflicts of Interest and Blogging Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:23:55 +0000 http://www.drama20show.com/2008/09/16/is-disclosure-meaningless-in-the-blogosphere/#comment-30449 [...] blogging facing a serious conflict of interest problem? Drama 2.0 last week wrote that “the blogosphere has to a certain extent created a new breed of conflict of interest, [...] [...] blogging facing a serious conflict of interest problem? Drama 2.0 last week wrote that “the blogosphere has to a certain extent created a new breed of conflict of interest, [...]

]]> By: Drama 2.0 http://www.drama20show.com/2008/09/16/is-disclosure-meaningless-in-the-blogosphere/comment-page-1/#comment-29170 Drama 2.0 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:14:15 +0000 http://www.drama20show.com/2008/09/16/is-disclosure-meaningless-in-the-blogosphere/#comment-29170 Guy: I appreciate the origins of blogging but if you look around, it's hard not to notice that not only are there few ethical boundaries, there seems to be less and less consensus as to what constitutes "ethical boundaries." Om Malik's decision to moonlight as a venture capitalist is the perfect example of this. Guy: I appreciate the origins of blogging but if you look around, it’s hard not to notice that not only are there few ethical boundaries, there seems to be less and less consensus as to what constitutes “ethical boundaries.”

Om Malik’s decision to moonlight as a venture capitalist is the perfect example of this.

]]> By: Guy Rosen http://www.drama20show.com/2008/09/16/is-disclosure-meaningless-in-the-blogosphere/comment-page-1/#comment-29143 Guy Rosen Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:34:44 +0000 http://www.drama20show.com/2008/09/16/is-disclosure-meaningless-in-the-blogosphere/#comment-29143 Most of today's influential blogs started at a time when you would be laughed at for thinking a blogger is a journalist (or would be asked what on earth a blogger is). It's not that journalists, who grew up with a tradition of disclosure (regardless of their respect for it - the news journalism ecosystem is AWARE of it), went off to try a new online medium. It's that small site owners, most of them more technologists that journalists, decided to start writing on this new medium. The medium grew, their sites gained a following - and a few years later, they and the industry are waking up to realize that they are, in fact, journalists. This is a new breed of journalists and, as Tom said, the blogging world is only just waking up to the need to define the ethical boundaries. It'll get there. Most of today’s influential blogs started at a time when you would be laughed at for thinking a blogger is a journalist (or would be asked what on earth a blogger is).

It’s not that journalists, who grew up with a tradition of disclosure (regardless of their respect for it – the news journalism ecosystem is AWARE of it), went off to try a new online medium.

It’s that small site owners, most of them more technologists that journalists, decided to start writing on this new medium. The medium grew, their sites gained a following – and a few years later, they and the industry are waking up to realize that they are, in fact, journalists. This is a new breed of journalists and, as Tom said, the blogging world is only just waking up to the need to define the ethical boundaries. It’ll get there.

]]> By: Tom http://www.drama20show.com/2008/09/16/is-disclosure-meaningless-in-the-blogosphere/comment-page-1/#comment-28762 Tom Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:25:26 +0000 http://www.drama20show.com/2008/09/16/is-disclosure-meaningless-in-the-blogosphere/#comment-28762 I definitely don’t think the issue here is disclosure. Reporters don’t even hold themselves to that standard. For example, Chris Matthews of NBC is a fervent Democrat having even run for office as the party’s candidate at one point. But he doesn’t disclose that before every show. What he does do though is make an effort to be fair to each side on issues. How successful he is at that is obviously up for debate but he does try. The issue to me in the blog world is an immaturity about the need for ethical guidelines. Because really, financial conflicts don’t begin to cover all the various prejudices out there. One example that springs to mind lately is Duncan Riley’s constant bashing of Techcrunch and everything related to it. In that case there’s no money that changed hands it was simply Mr. Riley and Mr. Arrington having a falling out. It wouldn’t be considered a “conflict” even under a reporter’s standards yet Mr. Riley has written several negative articles about Arrington associates that seem, imho, to be motivated by the dispute. That, to me, is the issue. Ethical guidelines force you to try and present a fair case and put the obligation on the writer to rein in all their prejudices even if they aren’t technically considered “conflicts” So the question isn’t whether Mr. Malik’s employees know who their boss works for its “do they know their boss to be a person who would want them to write the unvarnished truth regardless of where he works?” I don’t know the answer to that. But that, to me, that is where the issue lies. I definitely don’t think the issue here is disclosure. Reporters don’t even hold themselves to that standard.

For example, Chris Matthews of NBC is a fervent Democrat having even run for office as the party’s candidate at one point. But he doesn’t disclose that before every show. What he does do though is make an effort to be fair to each side on issues.

How successful he is at that is obviously up for debate but he does try.
The issue to me in the blog world is an immaturity about the need for ethical guidelines. Because really, financial conflicts don’t begin to cover all the various prejudices out there.

One example that springs to mind lately is Duncan Riley’s constant bashing of Techcrunch and everything related to it. In that case there’s no money that changed hands it was simply Mr. Riley and Mr. Arrington having a falling out. It wouldn’t be considered a “conflict” even under a reporter’s standards yet Mr. Riley has written several negative articles about Arrington associates that seem, imho, to be motivated by the dispute.

That, to me, is the issue. Ethical guidelines force you to try and present a fair case and put the obligation on the writer to rein in all their prejudices even if they aren’t technically considered “conflicts”

So the question isn’t whether Mr. Malik’s employees know who their boss works for its “do they know their boss to be a person who would want them to write the unvarnished truth regardless of where he works?” I don’t know the answer to that.

But that, to me, that is where the issue lies.

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