Posts tagged ethics
Posts tagged ethics
Amen. This is why I can never be a prying reporter. There are bigger things at play:
They will rationalize the prying story by saying that Apple is a public company and investors need—nay, deserve—this information.
Well, bullshit.
The truth is, there is no real news value to any of this stuff. The only real value to any of these stories is that they generate page views. And the guys who are doing it, whether they write for a blog or for The New York Times, know the truth of what they’re doing, and they do it anyway. If you really want to learn about cancer and liver transplants, you can go to the library. If you’re an investor and really can’t live with the uncertainty that today’s announcement brings to Apple stock, well, sell your shares and thank Steve Jobs for the ridiculous profits you’ve made. If you decide to hang on to your shares, that’s fine too—but don’t go around claiming that your handful of shares gives you the right to pry into the private life of a sick man.
Instead, let’s acknowledge up front that reporters have opinions. Either let your reporters express and explain their opinions, which are presumably shaped by deep knowledge and therefore well-supported and valuable; or, don’t let your reporters go on TV shows, or write “news analysis” columns that farcically pose as impartial journalism. Pick one and go with it.
It was only a matter of time before sneaky affiliate links appeared in Tweets. Jeremiah Owyang offers guidelines for this iffy practice:
1) Make sure it lines up editorially with your personal brand, promoting a product that people don’t associate you with will raise eyebrows.
2) Disclose it’s an affiliate link, perhaps with a hashtag #affilliatelink.
3) Be sincere about your recommendation. If you truly love that product you’re promoting, perhaps write a review on a blog first, explaining why.
4) Be fully transparent before people follow you: Create a link from your Twitter profile page that is up front about how you use Twitter, and explain your intentions when it comes to product recommendations and affiliate links.
This is another Golden Rule situation: Treat your audience as you’d hope to be treated. If something feels sneaky, it is. If a link seems sleazy, it is. This applies to all wings of the Web world: Tweets, blog content, newsletters, marketing, etc. Be on the up and up at all times and you’ll be fine.
So this is the equivalent of a Shrute Buck deduction.Us Weekly is the third magazine in a week after ESPN the Magazine and Entertainment Weekly to get an ASME reprimand, a notice that typically carries no repercussions.
