By the way,
There are lots of bloggers (including many friends) for whom compensated reviews are a modest source of household income. The majority of these folks conduct themselves completely openly and honestly (indeed, informatively); these real-food bloggers deserve our thanks and our support for diligently vetting each and every product on our behalf before deciding whether or not to offer a personal recommendation.
As regards the solicitations sent to my attention, please understand that I choose neither to accept payment or gifts for the articles which appear on my blog, nor do I participate in services providing advertising revenue for those things that I do write about. That having been said, I continue to look forward to hearing about the many amazing, healthy and sustainable goods and services that are available. Cool? Cool.
With a tip of the toque to Local Nourishment and an awesome toes-to-the-fire set of ground rules from Sustainable Eats then, here is the pledge that I’ve signed..
BLOG with INTEGRITY
By displaying the Blog with Integrity badge or signing the pledge, I assert that the trust of my readers and the blogging community is important to me.
I treat others respectfully, attacking ideas and not people. I also welcome respectful disagreement with my own ideas.
I believe in intellectual property rights, providing links, citing sources, and crediting inspiration where appropriate.
I disclose my material relationships, policies and business practices. My readers will know the difference between editorial, advertorial, and advertising, should I choose to have it. If I do sponsored or paid posts, they are clearly marked.
When collaborating with marketers and PR professionals, I handle myself professionally and abide by basic journalistic standards.
I always present my honest opinions to the best of my ability.
I own my words. Even if I occasionally have to eat them..
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Marianne said,
December 3, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Thank you!!!
Dink said,
December 4, 2009 at 4:18 am
Which is why you can be trusted without a doubt. Thank you for your integrity.
Ren said,
December 4, 2009 at 6:33 am
Many of the bloggers I know have a sponsor or two; they are thorough in their research and I trust them implicitly. Thanks!
Peggy said,
December 4, 2009 at 7:26 am
No pennies in the hat, but a standing “O” for you.
lynn byrd said,
December 4, 2009 at 8:28 pm
OK then!
Laura said,
December 4, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Thank you, Ren. It’s always good to know where people stand.
sustainableeats said,
December 5, 2009 at 12:22 am
Nice. We need a Ren Rocks badge!
leih said,
December 5, 2009 at 6:56 am
Hi Ren,
I am so thankful for those of you who spend so much time with these amazing food blogs!
I believe in the basic goodness of people (tho I know there are those among us who don’t deserve that high regard; I tend to go with benefit of the doubt until I know otherwise…), so even when someone who spends so much time blogging to the benefit of the rest of us receives some compensation for doing so, it’s not a problem for me. As long as the basic integrity of their opinions are intact, why shouldn’t someone receive some form of compensation for all the time and effort? Especially when they are open and up front about it.
Thank you for all your diligent work in your blog, and thanks also to everyone else I’ve “met” in this healthy food blogging world thru Kimi and Cheeseslave (that’s how I found all of you guys). I hope everyone on the roundtables sees this thanks and knows it’s for all of you!!
leih
Ren said,
December 5, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Thank you, Marianne, Dink, Peggy, lynn bird, Laura, sustainableeats and leih!