As a journalist and a blogger, I firmly believe that ethics are good. The issue came up when I received my first request for a product review, so I decided to put cutsor to screen and set one up.
I won’t lie — I have copied, word-for-word, what my good friend Brett “Cranky Flier” Snyder has on his website. I have his permission, and hey–why reinvent the wheel? I just have one addition-I will take a product for review, but I will return it after I’ve tested it for a blog post. But if I like the product, I will pay full price for it. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at benet AT aviationqueen DOT com.
Code of Ethics
For the purpose of this code, “free and/or discounted products and services” refers to anything offered to me for free or for a discount simply because of my status as a blogger.
- When I write about free and/or discounted products and services, I will always disclose on this page who gave them to me, when they were given to me, and when I wrote about them. I will also include the discount amount offered in any post on the products/services.
- I will always write the truth about a product or service regardless of whether it is good or bad. I will never trade favorable press for free and/or discounted products and services.
- I will only accept free and/or discounted products and services if the people offering the product/service confirm that they have read this code of ethics and are willing to abide by the rules that have been set here.
- Just because I have been provided with free and/or discounted products and services doesn’t mean I will write about them. The only criteria for determining whether or not to write about a product is if it will make for a compelling post, good or bad.
It was nice to exchange branding tips with you this evening. I am jealous that you have a (very nice) blog resource. I have yet to take that dive but I’m excited to do so. I wish you the best of luck. -Brandan Craft
I enjoyed it too. I wish I had the skills to take my blog to the next level, but that comes this fall in grad school! I hope we’ll get to meet at NABJ in Philly!
I understand your code of ethics and fully agree.
Thanks. I can’t take free, but there’s no rule saying I can’t take a discount! LOL
This subject may be a bit stale, today’s read was the first for me. I absolutely agree that a Code of Ethics is esential for any blog that deals with commercial products or services. Your COE is reasonable, but perhaps a bit too restrictive on you. In the end, it is not what you may or may not recieve, but the integrity of your words. Readers are not fools and they instantly discard fluffy writing and praise in support of an otherwise bad product or service. The real key to honesty is the disclosure statement. While it does not often affect my evaluation of a product or service review, It Must ALWAYS Be Stated. WHile accepting free or discounted products or services should be limited, a geniune freebie or substantial discount is not necessarily forbidden territory, as long as it is disclosed. As always, the providers must understand that you will write your honest feeling – or write nothing and at your sole option. In the end, a reasonable etichs code is not about what you do, but how you do it and what finer details are disclosed. I hope that you appreciate the differences. -C.
Thank you for this. I’m just trying to be as above-board as possible!
And doing Just Fine!
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Do you have a Facebook Fan Page I could subscribe to?
Sorry, no. I’ve set it up, but…
What a tremendous concept. You should be congratulated for your integrity in a realm where the lines can blur.
Regards form the land down under.
Owen