Re Blogging Standards

**K*@aol.com**

I'm as happy as the next person to receive free bulbs, plants,  trowels, 
and more, but when I was magazine editor I had to be sensitive to  our writing 
about any product without acknowledging that someone had provided us  with 
free samples.  

The same should be true of "free information." Rephrasing a news release  
from a nursery or PR firm isn't garden journalism, and if the author's 
knowledge  doesn't extend beyond what is in the release, however useful or good or 
 accurate, he/she should credit the source. Say the new begonia is disease  
resistant and longer blooming, but make clear that this information comes 
from  the breeder.

I don't know the details of the new FTC guidelines, but all garden writers, 
 in print or online, should disclose their relationship to "products" that 
come  gratis. That doesn't mean one can't write about asters or a new book 
without  source footnotes, but what's so hard about saying XX Nursery just 
sent me bla  bla aster, or XX publisher just sent me bla bla book, and I think 
it's  terrific?

Maybe one clue to why disclosure of writers' connection  to products and 
information is important is that we never, or almost  never, see articles 
reporting that a new rose that has been sent to 300  garden writers or a new 
garden cart made available to garden writers who  attended the GWA meeting is 
awful. 

Karan Davis Cutler

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