FTC Tells Bloggers What to Say
I don’t have a review this week but I thought I’d talk about something that will affect all bloggers who review. Or maybe it won’t because the internet is a huge place, anyone can publish to it and the FTC must really forget that. Recently they stated that all reviewers who receive review copies for free or get paid to review must reveal that they are being “compensated” for their “endorsement”.
My first thought, as I usually tend to do with most stuff, was ‘Oh who cares? Just slap a little extra line down at the bottom.’ My second thought was, ‘Wait, this is really stupid. Did they really think this was necessary?”
Yes, it’s probably not a big deal to just mention that you’re reviewing from a review copy given to you for free. Uh, did I mention that’s completely and totally redundant. If it’s a review copy, it’s free. If it’s a galley, it’s free. In fact, publishers send out lots of them not just to reviewers but selection librarians, teens in schools and heads of books clubs. They want to get their book out there and they accept that with the magical power of people talking they may end up with a hit or they may have a bad product and sink their boat before it floats. That’s how it works. It’s kind of like an airplane, if something starts to tip it sideways physics will force it to right itself.
This rule is completely unnecessary for several reasons:
1. Reputation. In the blogging world you don’t have a boss standing over your shoulder giving you a paycheck, or encouragement or a national byline despite lack of readers. Every blogger I know know had to spend years, yes years, building up a reputation. For bloggers who review this means years of good trusted reviews. So before a blogger even gets on a publishers radar as someone they may want to send a book to, the blogger is already known for a track record of honesty. If, all of a sudden, the blogger suddenly starts singing the praises of books that then turn out to be not very good and this consistently happens then readers will look elsewhere for reviews.
2. Says Who? If the publishers aren’t talking and the blogger isn’t talking then how in the world is the FTC going to police this? Plus, just because one group of ethical bloggers follow the rules doesn’t mean there’s not a whole bunch waiting to greedily grab up the “free” copies and post glowing reviews. In fact, the FTC admits taking it case by case:
The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement.
I take this to mean that they aren’t going to require publishers send them a list of bloggers or expect someone to sit in an office and read blogs all day looking for suspicious review patterns. So, it basically means they will sit and wait for someone to rat out the blogger, then case by case, decide to prosecute. That’s a really great system. I guess print reviewers aren’t held to this rule because they write for companies and there’s a hierarchy that gives the illusion of journalistic integrity. Which brings me to my next point:
3. Corporate vs. Independent What about a blogger like me? I blog for a newspaper and received a hat, a mug and a mouse pad. Am I exempt from these rules since I’m not an independent blogger? If I don’t follow them, who gets prosecuted – me or the Oklahoman? Really, should I have told you all about the hat, mug and stunning mousepad earlier?
4. Common Courtesy. Most bloggers I know already disclose if they are reviewing off a free copy. It’s considered good manners. Making it a law kind of cheapens that I think. Bloggers do it to inform their readers. We like our readers, we don’t want to deceive them.
In conclusion I revert to my 16 year old self and say, whatever. It’s a stupid rule but not a harmful one. People will follow or not follow it as they see fit. It’s something most already do anyway. What do you think? Was it even worth a whole blog post on?
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
I think you’re right. They probably had more textile things in mind, like parents reviewing strollers or food critics getting free meals. But I still think both of those things have exactly the same issue as book bloggers do. Anyone sharing their opinion on the web that garners enough attention to get these companies to want to send them stuff has a reputation built up, not only with readers but with companies too. I think it’s a well-meaning rule but just kind of silly. Most won’t go out of their way to deceive their readers by hooking up with a company and trying to pose as an unbiased reviewer. If they do, I bet people with lots of time and internet searching skills will find them out real fast. The internet is an expansive place but there’s no where to hide.
Sadie–
Went to the link, and my guess is that the FTC didn’t even consider the impact this would have on the publishing world. Plus, I’m not sure there is any *intent* to impact the book review process as it has worked in the past. Still, you gotta wonder. Those lead-content rules could have impacted libraries and used-book sellers if the library world had not screamed to high heaven.