
Reporter's conflict of interest - duck
http://scripting.com/stories/2011/09/08/reportersConflictOfInteres.html
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hncommenter13
I'm sorry, but this just doesn't make any sense. What about people who are
paid to blog? What are they?

The fact is, if one has a financial interest in the topics one is writing
about in a journalistic context--whether on one's own unpaid blog or as a paid
employee of a newspaper--it is considered a strong ethical practice to
disclose such conflicts upfront. In some cases, they may be required by the
FTC (ask the weight loss splog industry).

Also, the point about reporters and bloggers having opposing interests is
silly. Reporters add value by thoroughly researching a story, not just quoting
people who blog. They do not merely facilitate the public quotation of as-yet-
unblogged thoughts (nor is everyone who is news- or quote-worthy a blogger).
If anything, blogs help reporters discover potential sources with interesting
ideas and specialized knowledge.

So the idea that journalistic ethics only apply to paid reporters is an after-
the-fact justification to facilitate the outcome Winer wants to see for his
friend.

Arrington can't hide from the conflict. If he writes extensively about his
investments, it's an unfair advantage to those companies. If he avoids writing
about his investments to avoid a conflict, it's an unfair disadvantage to
those companies.

There's nothing wrong with self-interested blogging--some of the best
investment analysis on Chinese reverse mergers comes from Muddy Waters, where
the principals typically have short positions in the stocks they cover, which
are disclosed up-front.

The idea that Arrington--or Silicon Valley generally--is somehow exempt from
these ethical guidelines is nonsensical.

~~~
anamax
> What about people who are paid to blog? What are they?

Winer actually addressed that with <blockquote> (Also, some people who call
themselves bloggers are paid to write. I don't think they are bloggers. But
there's nothing I can do to stop them from calling themselves bloggers.)
</blockquote>

> Also, the point about reporters and bloggers having opposing interests is
> silly. ... If anything, blogs help reporters discover potential sources with
> interesting ideas and specialized knowledge.

Again, from Winer <blockquote> I see the bloggers as sources. Not all of them,
and not for all reporters. But the people who reporters quote, more often than
not these days, have blogs.

The relationship between reporters and bloggers is the same relationship that
travel agents have to flights or hotel rooms. Reporters facilitate access to
the sources. And to the extent that we can go direct to the sources' blogs,
that interferes with #1 above. </blockquote>

> the outcome Winer wants to see for his friend.

I'm pretty sure that neither Winer nor Arrington see the other as a friend.

I don't always agree with Winer but his writing is reasonably clear so if
you're going to criticise his ethics, it's bad form to misstate his positions.

------
davewiner
Thanks for linking to this piece. :-)

