Sorry I wasn't clear in my last comment. I did not mean to say that PR is unethical, rather that I think it would be unethical, as a blogger, to simply relay messages from PR agencies. That's a journalist's job. I believe that Internet users expect a certain subjectivity and independence from bloggers, which is not necessarily compatible with the traditional press and people who live off of their writing.
I understand that agencies and marketing departments want to leverage the web 2.0 phenomenon, but I just don't think one can approach a blogger like a wine critic. The whole appeal is that they don't "play the game", thus offering an alternative voice.
Relaying the words of a vigneron or winemaker, however, is first hand info from those involved in crafting the product (and who hopefully are as passionate about it as you are about your clients). Of course one can communicate ethically, but I stand by the fact that the moment you are hired, you are expected to produce results. If one can manage to perfectly balance passion and professional life, than you are very lucky, but it's still too fragile a relationship to blindly trust in my book.
In reply to PR unethical? by Alison Dillon
PR
Sorry I wasn't clear in my last comment. I did not mean to say that PR is unethical, rather that I think it would be unethical, as a blogger, to simply relay messages from PR agencies. That's a journalist's job. I believe that Internet users expect a certain subjectivity and independence from bloggers, which is not necessarily compatible with the traditional press and people who live off of their writing.
I understand that agencies and marketing departments want to leverage the web 2.0 phenomenon, but I just don't think one can approach a blogger like a wine critic. The whole appeal is that they don't "play the game", thus offering an alternative voice.
Relaying the words of a vigneron or winemaker, however, is first hand info from those involved in crafting the product (and who hopefully are as passionate about it as you are about your clients). Of course one can communicate ethically, but I stand by the fact that the moment you are hired, you are expected to produce results. If one can manage to perfectly balance passion and professional life, than you are very lucky, but it's still too fragile a relationship to blindly trust in my book.