I talked about this in a previous blog and I was reminded of it again yesterday at work. My government job has me annually fill out the 700 form that discloses any "gifts" I receive and affiliations that I have that could possibly pose as a conflict of interest concerning my job. This form is usually filled out by politicians in CA and must be publicly displayed for everyone to see. If I didn't fill out and return the form, then I could be fined. It might sound like pretty strict rules, but we live in an era of transparency which helps to better understand individuals motives and methods.
In regards to my travel shows and blogs I also set high standards of transparency. Currently, I do not have any sponsors for the shows, but I am not opposed to the idea. I am opposed to not disclosing relationships with sponsors. I would want to know if a cigarette company is sponsoring someone who claims that smoking is horrible or an individual who reviews MAC make up and they are given MAC make up to review. There is a clear conflict of interest there and it is also ethically reviling. It is such BS when I watch a You Tube video about a girl reviewing make up brushes by a company that was given to her for free to "review". Yeah right she'll give an "honest" review! Come on, if I were given an all expense paid trip on Carnival Cruise then do you think I'll be able to say one bad thing about them? Did Samantha Brown when she went? No. Do we believe politicians when they have clear conflicts of interests? No. So be careful fellow travelers when you read a review or watch a travel show. It could be a great product or destination, but it could also not be that great. Look for a conflict of interest.
P.S. My last post was on Bumble and Bumble products, because I am a fan of them. I'm not sponsored by them in any way and damn it, I paid for every one of their expensive products! :) It's worth it!
