Ethics, Schmethics: On Press Trips and Writing a Good Story

Please note: This post is a statement of my own opinion and does not reflect the business contractual relationship I have with BlogHer, for which I comply with their editorial guidelines.

Is anyone else tired of the press trip debate? It returned last week -- on the tails of increasing paranoia about the new FTC rulings -- in a story posted by Gawker about NY Times writer Mike Albo taking a "free, all expenses paid trip to Jamaica." The NY Times explicitly prohibits their writers from participating in these kinds of events. Also on Gawker, an excerpt of the Times policy.

The following additional rules apply to travel writers, whether working for Travel, Escapes, T: Travel or any other section:

No travel writer, whether on assignment or not, may accept free or discounted services of any sort from any element of the travel industry. This includes hotels, resorts, restaurants, tour operators, airlines, railways, cruise lines, rental car companies and tourist attractions...

It is our policy not to give Travel assignments to freelance writers who have previously accepted free services. Depending on circumstances, the Travel editor may make rare exceptions, for example, for a writer who ceased the practice years ago or who has reimbursed his or her host for services previously accepted...

When the story broke, travelers on Twitter manned their keyboards and there was a lively conversation -- here's the #twethics (travel writer's ethics) archive, if you're interested.

Yes, it's not unusual for travel writers -- for well known writers of any stripe -- to be invited on a trip with the implied agreement that they'll write about it. Yes, there's some question about how truly objective a writer can be when they've taken a trip that was funded by their own nickels. Yes, pay for travel writing these days is rarely enough to cover the expenses of travel, it's rarely enough to turn a profit.

Are you getting 100 dollars a post -- enough to cover dinner and one night in a hotel you scored on Priceline? Are you getting 1200 dollars for a feature story about a far away place -- enough for a round trip ticket from the West Coast to Europe and a cup of coffee in the airport? Let's widen the circle a little bit -- are you buying every single one of those gadgets you review? Did you pay for that makeup/clothing/shoes/kitchen appliance/gaming device with your own cold hard cash and did your writing income cover the costs?

I think this entire debate is beside the point. Albo seems to have broken the terms of his contract by taking the trip. That's a business/contractual issue. But for me, the heart of this debate is the story that results from participating in a comped adventure. What's the story about? Is the writer offering critical insight into the destination? Is the writer giving you useful, actionable tips for a better trip? Are you reading a story that transports you to a place? Are any reviews practical, complete, and thoughtful? Or are you reading the same information you can get from the brochure stand in the airport? Is the resulting story nothing more than the PR company's copy, a first person rewriting of what's on the hotel or attraction web site? Regardless of who's paying, what am I reading as a result?

It's increasingly easy to be taken seriously by the entities that finance these trips. PR companies are interested in the high traffic numbers of group blogs, advertisers are looking to replace the fading print market with blog advertorials. They make their choices, send out some invites, and wait, hopefully, for the resulting wave of click throughs and conversions. The issue that came up again and again at the blogging plus travel events I attended this year was "How do I get one of those trips?"

I'd like to see more people asking "How do I write a good travel story?" My inbox is littered with PR pitches for travel related events. Odds are fairly high that I can tell if your post is sourced in one of those; odds are equally high that I can tell if you're on a comp, even if you haven't disclosed that fact. Ultimately, I don't actually care who paid for your trip. I care that the result is a well written story, critical and insightful.

In a perfect world, a travel writer could travel anonymously on an expense account and make a decent income from their stories -- but we all know that's just not true for so many writers these days. Press junkets and PR funded travel is part of the game now. We need to get used to that. And while I do think disclosure is a good policy for bloggers, it's ultimately up to the publication or the individual to decide. But I don't think participation in press trips immediately dings a writer's cred.

I'm not going to go after anyone because they've taken a free trip. Write poorly as a result of that opportunity, now that's when the gloves come off.

NYT Nitpicker: Why not give Mike Albo a break?
Gadling: Free press travel necessary... and certainly not an evil.
Miss Adventures: Of freelance writers and junkets
Matador: Do Travel and Leisure-style ‘No Freebies’ Policies Undermine Honesty in Travel Writing?

Pam blogs about travel and other adventures at Nerd's Eye View.

Submitted by Pam (view blog

) on Mon, 10/26/2009 - 7:39am

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Totally agree

I think you rooted out the imporant point in this debate Pam. Press trips aren't new, bloggers who dont understand the dynamics of the practice are. Good reporting and writing aren't necessarily affected by whether a trip is free or not. It's any writer's duty to write a balanced and engaging account of their experiences. If they feel pressured to write glowing, positive stories because they have been subsidized, then they shouldn't accept it. I once got blasted because I wrote a negative cruise story in a major publication. It was a subsidized trip but I felt the organization of the cruise line was exceptionally poor and I voiced my opinion. I probably won't be invited back but that's not the point. My focus was supplying the public with enough info to avoid the negative experience I had and to make informed decisions about a cruise vacation.

Farsighted Fly Girl: http://rosalindcummingsyeates.blogspot.com

Submitted by Fly Girl on Mon, 10/26/2009 - 08:45

"Free trips"

I missed the whole #twethics chatter when it was hapening, but my cowriter Kara participated. One aspect that she brought up (and with which I fully agree) is that we never read something like, "this was a press trip," or "I was invited to stay her" in a print mag, yet the new FCC guidelines impose a seriously hefty fee for bloggers who don't disclose. It's an evolving aspect of travel writer ethics, of course, and one that I hope to see continue to change over time.

As for Rosalind's comment here, well, she may not be invited back on that cruise line; the public's respect for her is worth it.

My Travel Site

The Vacation Gals

Submitted by Jen M. on Mon, 10/26/2009 - 09:16

Can Most Readers Discern a Comped Trip?

In many ways, the issue of travel writers accepting payment from PR firms and cruise ships, hotels and vacation destinations is very similar to one I've been writing about this week : affiliate marketing sites whose sole purpose is to provide leads for a selling organization. The one I wrote about were the acai berry blogs that all said, " I can' say I owe my life to Oprah..."

When you are able to tell whether a writer has been comped, it can help you evaluate what they are writing. However, many many people do not have that skillset and for them, not having that information means they are not getting all the information they need to evaluate the credibility of the piece.

I hope magazines are called on the carpet for their "reviews" of products that are often furnished by the manufacturer. Should you really "trust" a review in a woman's magazine?

I wouldn't. While I would like to think that I would give an honest review even if I were comped I know that I might tone down the intensity of the review if I had developed a personal relationship with the people who got me the gig and if I wanted to make sure that I got future assignments.

While I don't believe there is ever an unbiased review, I think your odds are greatly enhanced if a news organization pays for it rather than the folks who stand to make a profit by a favorable review.

elana Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&Careers FunnyBusiness

Submitted by Elana Centor on Mon, 10/26/2009 - 09:46

Discerning

You're probably right, Elana, readers probably can't tell if the writer is on a freebie. But I do think readers can see through insipid prose that offers nothing but glowing reports of gold tinged perfection.

It's funny, for hotel reviews, I go to the review sites, and look at the worst ones. If something shows up consistenly -- the place is noisy, the food is bad, the rooms are dirty -- then I figure there's some truth to the matter. I look away from ranting, anger, bashing. It's worth applying those same critical skills to glowing positive reports too.

It's in the details. I velieve this is true for any kind of review writing, it's in the details. I know it when you see it.

I agree that reading critically may not be a skill that all readers have. More's the pity. Reading well is something we all should be able to do.

Nerd's Eye View
@nerdseyeview

Submitted by Pam on Tue, 10/27/2009 - 04:45

Great essay Pam

When I do my own internal check I feel pretty uncomfortable with the idea of a trip that is paid for by a travel outfit, hotel, cruise line, etc. I think it would be difficult to do in a balanced way. Not that anyone is banging my door down, but if they were, my first instinct would be to question their motives and also the authenticity of the experience I would have.

On the other hand, I think it is completely unfair to expect that writers will cover all of their own expenses and then some only to be paid a paltry sum by the organization that wants to publish their writing - the organization that needs content to survive. I accept that travel writers do expect partly to be paid in experiences and lifestyle, but I think it's unrealistic to expect that they should always foot the bill. Especially since what many publications are interested in are articles about very high-end resorts. That doesn't really sit with the vow of poverty they seem to expect writers to take.

And ultimately I do think that good writing - and being honest - is what really matters. To me David Foster Wallace describing the Frank Conroy essay in "Shipping Out" (one of my favorite pieces of travel writing ever) is a perfect illustration of the contrast between being a writer and being a shill.

Mara

The Mother of All Trips

Submitted by mara@themotherofalltrips on Mon, 10/26/2009 - 18:08

Interesting Debate!

Indeed! There certainly should be questions about how truly objective a writer can be when they've taken a trip that was funded by others.

No matter how good the writing is, the stories ARE affected by who is paying for them. Sadly, MOST of our media is run that way and why it is so difficult to discern what is truly factual today.

I think more than good writing is at stake. How valuable is great writing if it hides the full truth intentionally?

I don't trust much in mainstream media today because of this trend. When I sold my house at peak in 2005, Time Magazine had a lead article including cover on why it was the best time to buy a house ( influenced by real estate and mortgage bank money no doubt). Now, most who caught that enthusiasm (from "great writing") are deep in underwater mortgages or foreclosed.

A good example in the travel industry is how big cruise ship companies spend a ton on advertising in travel magazines and does endless free trips for travel writers/bloggers. There might be some great and entertaining writing (plus travel porn photos, videos & tweets) but 0% inform the public that cruising is absolutely the most harmful to our planet.

The travel writers that are doing the excellent writing that includes all the critical facts are those not on the free press trip cruises (or magazines supported by the booming cruise industry).

I find it sad for our planet that just like few knew about the housing crash until it was too late, that public awareness about the extreme environmental harm of big cruise ships are unknown ( and will remain unknown to the public, until it is too late, because that is what the rich cruise industry promotes with travel writers.)

I don't know how to solve the problem of paying writers fairly, but I am glad that the internet helps even things out a bit. There are actually some great writers writing exactly what they want to write about so one doesn't have to always folllow the money to sort out the bias.

Submitted by soultravelers3 on Sun, 11/01/2009 - 13:45