Looks like Celia Cohen is back to blogging. I’d like to lay down some ground rules so that the blog community can welcome her back without misgivings, so I’ve drafted an open letter to her that I’d like you guys to help me shape up a bit.
We all know that blogger ethics are a hot topic, and I would not want Cohen’s return to blogging to paint us all as unethical, so full disclosure is in order.
Open Letter to Celia – Draft 1
Celia,Welcome back. You didn’t quite make it a year away from the blogs, but we all know that blogging is a more demanding mistress than crack cocaine, so no more about that.
We, your fellow Delaware Political bloggers, wanted to ask you a couple of favors as you get started “reporting” on Delaware politics and political personalities. First of all we want you to disclose who is funding your column at Delaware Today and how much they are paying to have you appear in those pages. We think that this would go a long way toward establishing your credibility.
Doing so will either expose your writing to be the product of a transparently biased blogger, or of a credible PR flack. We are curious to find out which profession you have chosen this time around.
We also think that you should also disclose any agreements, formal or otherwise, that you’ve struck with your sponsors regarding the content and tone of your forthcoming advertorials. Again, knowing up front that Mike Castle has paid “X” dollars for your famous back rubs during an election year would help rebuild your reputation for forthrightness that took such a shellacking over the past 8 years while you defended Mike Castle’s “moderation” in spite of his transparentlyundeniably partisan pro-Bush voting record.
People have to make a living, so we have no problem with whatever financial agreements that you have entered into with Pete DuPont and Mike Castle with Delaware Today as the financial intermediary. All we desire is transparency.
Sincerely,