Shedding Some Light on Disclosures

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at August 5th, 2007

Before we start to get “disclosure happy,” here is a very good piece written by Read Write Web on when bloggers should disclose information. This was pointed out by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger. The article actually illustrates journalism ethics as well as the ethics behind the business models of traditional publishers (it is sometimes tricky to balance business with ethics especially in the realm of journalism).

Nothing new really, but the piece is a helpful all in one guide to how to treat our disclosures as well as see what level we are in to becoming more professional about our blogging.

You’ll notice that I don’t include a rule about disclosing when you were paid to write about a specific topic or company. The reason is that any blogger who wants to be taken seriously as a journalist cannot and will not accept money or gifts from a source (or vice versa). That said, it should also be noted that there is a big difference between accepting gifts in exchange for writing a story and accepting review copies of goods for free. [full article here]

In summary, the article says that disclosure should happen when in these situations:

Financial association (investment, ownership etc)
Employment with the company being written about
Writng about the Competition
Personal involvement

About the author

Jayvee Fernandez is a tech enthusiast, EAN certified SCUBA Diver and underwater photographer based in Metro Manila, Philippines. His photos and videos have appeared in various international and local publications including Random House Germany, Discovery Channel Canada, and CNN. He has been in the publishing industry (both digital and print) for more than 10 years. He has been reviewing gadgets for around that long as well. Follow him on G+ and @jayvee on Twitter.