“As a career journalist who has spent the last 2.5 years working for a “blog” that’s also a major media outlet, I was surprised by the FTC’s request that “bloggers” disclose gifts or payment for reviews. Obviously Giz staffers don’t accept gifts or payment for reviews—or, mind you, any kind of airfare or hotel fees paid for by a company—but the FTC’s ruling is so naive it’s not funny. Yes, these things should be monitored but, while the internet certainly plays a role, the problem isn’t specifically a bloggy one.

Take TV: There have been plenty of reported cases of open bribery, and every time a product appears on a show, you should consider the likelihood of payola. In print publications, the bribes simply take a different form: Many magazines—both trade and mainstream—hire contributors and even staffers who happily get shuttled around the world on corporate dimes (used to be first class, now it’s business class, poor babies), getting put up in nice hotels for nothing, collecting sweet juicy frequent flier miles while they’re at it. This is standard marketing procedure for many beloved companies, and common in all major review-intensive industries. (*cough* auto industry *cough*) I have been gently castigated by “peers” on several occasions for refusing trips to Asia and Europe, because (obviously) it made the people accepting the trips feel self-conscious.

I love a call for ethics as much as the next reasonably ethical SOB, but man, this is a can of worms that can’t possibly open and close solely on bloggers (and the related Facebookers and Tweeters), however the hell the FTC attempts to define them.”

-Your thoughts John?

This new law applies to both though, regardless of whether you make an income from your blog, or how great that income is, you will still have to disclose whether you’re being paid to write a good review.