Wal-Mart and Bloggers

The New York Times begins this article about Wal-Mart feeding news and information to bloggers who have written favorable of Wal-Mart. The idea being that having done so, they might continue to blog favorable. The NYT also noted that other companies have utilized bloggers also.
The majority of the article is about the bloggers posting the information given to them, in some cases word for word, without citing where they got it.
It appears that the NYT would like to ream Wal-Mart for using bloggers, but because other companies utilize them, they're trying to make an issue about the bloggers.
Alyce Lomax has managed to thump both Wal-Mart and bloggers.

Wal-Mart's strategy to repair its public image through the blogosphere has resoundingly backfired. News like this makes the company sound sneaky and underhanded, out to launch the equivalent of a corporate propaganda campaign, which of course fires up Wal-Mart's detractors even more. Meanwhile, bloggers who don't disclose their relationships with certain entities or individuals lose a heck of a lot of credibility, tarring the entire blogosphere by association, and making blogs seem that much less reliable as a source of information.

I know that reporters do not reveal where they get their information when they write an article. I'm pretty sure that they get phone calls and e-mails from the PR departments from all sorts of companies. It appears that bloggers are going to be held to a higher standard than the MSM.


Jeff Jarvis has some advice.

So my first reponse{response} is to help bloggers with advice:

If you write a post inspired by what you get from a company or its PR agent, say so. If you use facts or quotes from a company, politician, PR agent, or press release, say so (better yet, link to it). If you get anything from a PR agent — things, business meetings, social events — say so. Your public has a right to know where your information comes from so they can judge it accordingly.

And then you know what? You will be way ahead of the press

.

Disclosure: Wal-Mart has not contacted me with any news and information. They have not invited me to any meetings. My feelings are hurt! I live just next door and I've not been invited to the party!

UPDATE:
Proud Conservative has received an email from a spokesman for Wal-Mart concerning the New York Times article.