The Washington Post printed (or today, more relevantly, posted) an article this week discussing what they presented as the shady world of online PR and marketing. On the heels of a class action lawsuit against Yelp, it addressed a problem many are seeing online: how to know whether that review was an honest, unbiased opinion, or penned directly by an agent of a crafty company’s PR team. (Read the article here).
The Post article and the recent hubbub make it seem like there is a dark, new phenomena: online PR people working as devious underground double-agents.
But what about traditional journalism and reviews? The internet is all a tizzy about freebies given to bloggers and covert company reviewers, but old-school journalists aren’t exactly innocent. Free swag and special journalist rates have been a part, albeit maybe not the most upstanding part, of reporting since the glory days of print. And unlike bloggers, it’s up to the journalist’s ethical discretion rather than federal mandate to disclose the friends-with-benefits relationship. (See article on FTC disclosure rule here ).
It’s a bit of a double standard. You don’t think the writers at Vogue get special access to spring’s new lines? Or Food & Wine reporters taste for a little less than the average foodie? The point of the review is to do just that, review. And there’s nothing to review if the journalist, be he from a print-era behemoth or from the interweb’s blogosphere, can’t get his hands on the product.
I’m not excusing shady dealings; ethical practices need apply for everyone who has influence. It’s absolutely necessary for honest journalists and marketers alike, and it’s the reason the FTC required disclosure online. It’s just that yes, times are changing, but now is the time to recognize the unique challenges and benefits of a user-generated marketplace. User-generated content does blur between who is an expert and who’s your neighbor ranting about his lawn mower after a night of drinking, but there’s something to be said about a raw average-Joe perspective.
Take the reviews. Ask your friends, both real and on Facebook. But ultimately, go out and try it for yourself. And if you’re so inclined, go ahead and review.
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