With the Edelman PR fiasco come and gone (geez, is it really gone?), Dave Taylor began wonder out aloud if its time for a Bloggers best practices as it applies to disclosure, or perhaps a code of ethics. Are there no organizations which help reinforce this issue already? Well, the Word of Mouth Association exists. Its mandate is to “protect consumers and industry with strong ethical guidelines”.
The delicious irony? Richard Edelman was one of its founding members.
Today, Mike Arrington discusses the possibility of more.
But the friction destruction and market efficiency qualities of the Internet are leading blogs in particicular to face a serious credibility challenge, and I believe this must be dealt with in a direct and open manner. The WOMMA guidelines are a good start, but I think more practical and far reaching advice is also needed. I also think that we need more than a set of principles. There have to be consequences when journalists stray.
He goes on to talk about a meeting with Social Media club in San Francisco tonight so that interested bloggers and new media types can have a more involved discussion about bloggers ethics.
One wonders if we’re witnessing the early seeds of a code in evolution — a bloggers code of ethics … and perhaps with teeth, this time.
And in light of the Edelman scandal, maybe its about time.
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