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Topic: comp ethics question
| Author | Message |
| GG | Posted – 8/9/2007 12:44:04 PM | show profile At publications like the New York Times, why is it okay for theater and book critics to accept free tickets and books, but it's not okay for travel writers to accept comped hotel rooms? |
| JimmyG | Posted – 8/10/2007 11:11:48 AM | show profile And why is it okay for automotive writers at NYT and a couple of other big papers to accept free cars to test drive for a week but not to go on manufacturers' press previews without the newspaper footing the bill? One could argue that there's no way any publication this side of Consumer Reports could actually buy a car for a staffer or freelancer to review, but then why wouldn't a paper pay for its own books or theater/movie tickets? While reimbursing automakers for meals and hotel rooms looks good ethics-wise, it doesn't discount the fact that at such trips writers drive vehicles on hand-picked roads that best show off the cars' abilities and pretty much get pitched the virtues of an automaker's wares virtually around the clock for one or two days. And unless you're trying to write a vacation off for tax purposes, who could ever recover the cost of a trip by selling an article about it? I think it's better to post a disclaimer where necessary to the tune of: "the author attended an industry-sponsored press event" or something like that. |
| GG | Posted – 8/11/2007 3:44:00 PM | show profile Good point. |
| Brena | Posted – 8/14/2007 9:37:51 AM | show profile An advertorial is an advertorial no matter how one dresses it up. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 8/14/2007 11:04:46 AM | show profile Well, it's even more basic. Let's say you interview a lawyer who makes $300 an hour normally and he gives you his time for free. Why's he doing it? He wants the publicity or the ego boost. Is that really all that different from a free hotel room? |
