Many of you may have seen news items and/or blog posts about the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules pertaining to blogger disclosures and celebrity endorsements. They take effect on 1 December 2009 and violations will incur fines of up to US$11,000.
I have rather strong opinions about bloggers who get freebies, including free travel, and then don’t disclose to their readers when content is based on those nice opportunities.
For myself, I think there are rules about that sort of thing, so I’ve posted my thoughts in a new permanent Page: the Blog Disclosure Policy for the Family Travel Guide.
You can see the link in the upper right corner of the blog Home page, under Family & Travel Resources.
In sum, I say that if I get free stuff to write about, you’ll know it because I’ll disclose it.
I prefer to pay for my own stuff, though, so I can be truly mouthy about it. But you kind of expected that from me, right?
For more detailed thoughts on the new FTC rules, you may wish to bounce over to one of my other blogs and read: What do new FTC blogging rules mean for press trips and fam tours?
Keeping it real, so you know what you’re getting….
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s a great point that travel bloggers should disclose whether one got any freebies for some destination that one is reviewing. I wonder if the same is true for foodies and other types of reviewers?
Hi Andy,
Thanks for stopping by….well, if they didn’t disclose before, guess it’s time to start.