Comments on: Five Freebies Journalists (and Bloggers) Still Take

By: Ryan Agape

Ryan Agape — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:18:42 +0000

Try and do press coverage of something like The Sundance Film Festival without any schwag… The films are competing for journalists attention like you wouldn’t believe. I think I spent a total of 10 bucks on food and alcohol the entire week I was there.

Does this sway my coverage? In some ways, because I was expected to cover the most lavish and “important” parties, as these were the events with the biggest celebrities. However, like many other journalists, I called bullshit on the making something out of nothing phenomenon of the festival environment and felt justified when we went to print.

By: Remodeling & Repair Advice — for Free! - Zillow Blog - Real Estate News and Analysis

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:46:17 +0000

[...] beer! pickled eggs! Slim Jims! beef jerky! beer nuts!). Oh, plus, I was a journalist in the years before accepting freebies was a no-no. Lots of free stuff in my [...]

By: b5media - Summer Business

b5media - Summer Business — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:32:35 +0000

[...] wades into the discussion about offering free services/products to journalists, on Common Sense [...]

By: Richard Becker

Richard Becker — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:34:58 +0000

Hey Eric,

Sorry I missed you on this one. I’ve worked (and occasionally worked) on both sides of the fence.

I think it comes down to how you answer these questions:

Journalist/blogger: Is the offer important to the story? Does it increase the importance of the story? And will it ultimately skew your story?

For the public relations practitioner: Is the offer appropriate to the story? Are you expecting anything in return because of the offer?

How anyone answers these questions will makes all the difference; employer guidelines not withstanding.

Great post as always. Best, Rich

By: The Buzz Bin » Blog Archive » Goodness Gracious, Great Blogs of Fire!

The Buzz Bin » Blog Archive » Goodness Gracious, Great Blogs of Fire! — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:48:18 +0000

[...] a fair argument since journalist themselves are abusing the rules of engagement. Check out the five most common abuses by journalists. For the record, blogging is not journalism, there are no rules. While free to do as they wish, [...]

By: Eric Eggertson

Eric Eggertson — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:01:59 +0000

I don’t buy the argument that all freebies are evil.

What’s the value of a Caribbean cruise? Pick the right week, and they’re practically giving away space on some cruises. Is it worth $3,000, because that’s what you’d pay if you booked at full rate, or is it worth $500, because that’s what you could have gotten it for as a last-minute bargain?

What’s the value of a seat on a plane? Depends on which plane, when, and whether there is demand for the seat.

I’m all for disclosure, but I’m not as hard core as some people on what would create a perceived conflict of interest.

By: Geoff Livingston

Geoff Livingston — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:09:16 +0000

This is a great post, especially given all the heat bloggers are taken for graft. While it’s not cool to get bought, it’s certainly less cool to be a journalist and engage in this activity.