Parker feud, hope this is OK ?

[Robin Garr]

This proposal looks entirely reasonable to me. If you review a freebie, disclose it. One standard for journalists and bloggers. Subject to First Amendment scrutiny, which has already been thoroughly done on truth-in-advertising issues, this seems appropropriate and fair.

BLOGGERS FACE NEW FTC SCRUTINY
Ξ MAY 21ST, 2009 | → | ∇ A DAY AT A TIME, TECHNOLOGY, WINE NEWS |

http://reignofterroir.com/2009/05/21/bl ... -scrutiny/

Simply FYI everybody. Cheers!

Original post #1 by Linda L:

Maybe, just maybe, now is not the time in our lives or economy to be seeking out additional dollars to simply read another's opinion, in particular if often times that opinion is to serve one's own purpose. Its kind of like a winery taking a price increase this year, not a real wise idea !

Seems we have now come full circle, re: FTC and all.

Thanks for initiating this timely thread, Linda !

This proposal looks entirely reasonable to me. If you review a freebie, disclose it. One standard for journalists and bloggers. Subject to First Amendment scrutiny, which has already been thoroughly done on truth-in-advertising issues, this seems appropropriate and fair.

Exactly.

This is non-wine centric. Unlike a couple of comments elsewhere, the FTC didn't act because of any contact about wine bloggers. Nor is there any indication that the FTC has even looked at a wine blog. They issued the statement last fall to make clear that they considered deceptive advertising on blogs (about any product) as under their purview. To date, not sure that any blogger has even been warned. The Business Week article linked is probably best summary.

If you read the guidelines, it sounds like free samples of reasonably priced wine would generally be allowed. What probably wouldn't be allowed is sending 2 cases of a wine to a blogger as a "sample". Or sending a bottle of '82 Mouton Rothschild along with the bottle of Mouton Cadet the blogger is to review. These guidelines apply equally to print newsletters and the like, also.

In any case, disclosure solves most potential problems from reports.