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| ELLE SOUTH AFRICA MAY 2012 |
I wrote a feature article for ELLE Magazine's May 2012 issue where I tried to dissect the ethics of bloggin in a world where bloggers are still being compared to traditional media journalists. For me, the story was about the conflation between my profession and being a blogger. I tried to explain that as a journalist I still value the ethical codes that regulate journalism, but in my capacity as a blogger I am constantly confronted with the question of whether or not I should be accepting freebies and the like. Secondly, I feel as though brands, especially in South Africa, feel like they don't need to pay us for what is essentially free advertising. They invite us to all these events where we are expected to tweet and blog. And while many of them will justify this by saying they don't pay for media publicity, I really don't know if an article in The Times and a post on this blog (and my tweets) are the same thing. The one thing we have to come to terms with beyond our zeal over journalistic integrity and the like is the fact that blogging is a different type of medium with a different set of rules. Can we really equate paying for the exposure bloggers give to news, which has a real public interest and is the responsibility of journalists to communicate? In the end the blogger will have to deal with their own conscience if they are busy acting as advocates for brands they don't believe in just because they are payed to do so. But anyway, I really don't have the answers, maybe you too can give this Business Of Fashion article a read and decide for yourself.
4 comments:
LOOVED your article in Elle and as a blogger myself, It left me pondering. From what I've observed- it seems as though PR companies expect a positive post in return for inviting bliggers to their events... when speaking to a lot of bloggers, the underlying tone isthat they will continue giving praise to brands as long as they keep getting invited to these fabulous events.
Thanks Vuvu!
My take on those is that they are just in this for the freebies, then. Do they really care about anything other than the free alcohol and goodie bags? But no one can do anything about that. It is up to every blogger to question why they blog to start with. I know my heart's in the right place! :-)
I have recently started blogging and been enjoying it so far so il throw in my 2cents worth. When you start compromising the integrity of your blog (which somehow is a reflection of you as a brand)for freebies, thats whats going to determine the stain power of your blog and eventually you lose the respect of fellow bloggers and the very people that have been giving you the freebies. My thing is if your gona do it, do it right!
I read your article in the Elle mag, interesting read as always...
As long as your the brand is in line with your identity and the integrity of your blog is maintained, I think accepting freebies, invites and payment should be allowed. But also feel that the blogger must disclose it.
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