About that Amsterdam trip? It would be a conflict of interest if it was paid for by big tobacco, and the bloggers in question didn’t tell anyone that it was paid for by big tobacco, and they all came back and started writing about how much they really enjoy smoking and how the health hazards are really overblown.
What’s the worst that will happen here? They’ll come back and say that Amsterdam is a great place to visit? Hell, I’ll do that and I haven’t even been bought off by the machiavellian Dutch Tourist Board. Amsterdam is a great place to visit. I’ve had more fun there than I’m willing to acknowledge publicly.
(And no, I’m not angling for a late invite — I woudn’t have time to go even if I had the chance.)
…and, what the hell: it’s Comments Week at TMW!
January 30th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
Wow, it would be *so* embarrassing to be one of the first comments on a thread like this. I mean, it’s practically pinning a sign to your chest announcing that you read the site compulsively.
January 30th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
Oh, wait…
January 30th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
To Hunter: At least you have the honor of being first. Those of us who are the first dozen are just as compulsive, but we don’t get the recognition.
We will just have to bask in your reflected glory.
January 30th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
Comments! Cool!
I agree that in this instance, it’s really not a big deal. I can’t imagine it’ll affect coverage of Dutch policy or anything. But as a blog reader, I do think it’s best if there’s disclosure (which there is in this case) of large gifts so I can make up my own mind about whether it’s ethical and whether the gift affects blog coverage.
January 30th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Don’t need to send me anything as I have advised many people to visit that wonderful city. Hard not to have fun there.
January 30th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
I had a great time in AmDam when I was there a few years ago. And I didn’t even make it to the Anne Frank house, Heineken Brewery, or Van Gogh museum. Just don’t get a car, that city is a pain in the ass to drive around in.
Hunter- its better that you put something more than the standard 5-10 comments stating “First/Frist!!1!”. Thanks!
/pet peeve
January 30th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Lucky Number 7. Yee-haw.
(sorry, jrm78, couldn’t help myself)
January 30th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
Aaaah, Amsterdam…
You know, when you’re 21, and you’re doing the Eurail thing, a two day trip to Amsterdam is obligatory. You live it up, go overboard, suck the marrow out and make sure you stock up on good stories to tell your friends back home.
Then, the trains go on strike, and you’re stuck there for an extra three days. Now what? You’re exhausted. There are streets you never want to show your face on again. Well, that’s when you really begin to get stories….like the one about the well-meaning rastas trying to teach you how to play chess in a smoky coffeehouse “No, no mon, you con’t move like dat, only like dis…” or the one about being chased down a street late at night by three junkies weilding what could best be described as weapons made out of spare bailing wire…..
hmmmmmm…….
o.k. back to work…
January 30th, 2006 at 2:28 pm
Rik- no worries, my pet peeve only applies to the “first” posters.
January 30th, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Tom, I feel your pain. Some folks I know went to Amsterdam over the holidays. I like windmills, too–why don’t I get to go?
January 30th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Mr. Tomorrow:
I first discovered your work when you did the cover for “Toxic Sludge Is Good For You”. Ironic in that I manage hazardous waste for a living now…
Anyway, great work and I do hope you get to Amsterdam sometime soon.
BTW… They show your strip on the local RCN cable access channel in Chicago every so often.
January 30th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
For the record, I’ll gladly accept any free trips…
January 30th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Hell, I’d even PAY to go to Amsterdam!
January 30th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Hunter- its better that you put something more than the standard 5-10 comments stating “First/Frist!!1!”. Thanks!
Yeah, and now Tom is getting a good taste of about half the people commenting on his thread commenting about completely random things that have nothing to do with his post. Sorry, Tom. It’s unavoidable. ;-)
Then what often happens is they put something in the comment that _does_ go with the post, sortof, so people can’t call them out on it.
Anyway, if the powers-that-be on this planet are listening, put me down for a trip to New Zealand. I’ll write about whatever the hell you want, if you get me a trip to New Zealand.
Yeah, that’ll about do it.
January 30th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
I’ve been two Amsterdam twice in the last two and half years, and I am already counting the days for my next visit next September. It is one of the most beautiful and relaxing cities in the world. This year we will be staying in Spui, which is located between The Dam and Leidseplein.
This year my challenge will be to avoid the consumption of adult substances prior to 5pm. Acheiving full burnout by 2pm does not allow you to enjoy everything else Amsterdam has to offer.
January 30th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Comments at Modern World? Sweet.
Yes, Amsterdam is fun–and actually much more educational than I ever thought it would be.
January 30th, 2006 at 4:02 pm
No, it’s not a conflict of interest, it’s a POTENTIAL conflict of interest. Which can certainly be taken care of via full disclosure. Regardless, it’s certainly selling out, but the bloggers did that when they signed up for Blogads in the first place.
January 30th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Is it a conflict of interest? I mean, if someone gave you a bunch of money to say, make fun of President Bush, what would be wrong with that? Certainly if they gave you a bunch of money to not make fun of President Bush, that would be a conflict of interest, but since you are probably going to make fun of him anyways, making some money at it doesn’t seem like a “conflict” in fact everyone would just view it as a your paycheck. Therefor, since you already think Amsterdam is a great place to visit, it is unlikely that being given money is going to change your views on that. (Which may be why they aren’t inviting you. :-)
(Humm, liberal comments, kind of like liberal talk radio. Just cause the people commenting share my veiws, doesn’t mean I want to read them. Myself included.)
January 31st, 2006 at 7:11 am
Ahhh… but about that cell phone.
I need to send you one of my tin-foil hats.
(Cool, I got to post on TMW !)
January 31st, 2006 at 8:14 am
I’ve been meaning to visit Amsterdam for a few years now. My wife’s been, but she says it’s quite a small place and that she’s seen all she wants to of it. I think it was her who said that she’d prefer to visit the larger places in the Netherlands. But this is all second hand as I’ve never been.
I suspect something that does create a conflict of interest is the people who don’t get invitations, and that some of them bitch about the lucky bloggers because they didn’t get to go.
On the other hand, even if people are open about freebies the expectation of getting them (or not) can influence peoples’ writing and even actual opinions, often without them realising. Sound familiar? I guess one way to counter that would be to allocate such things more or less by lottery, which is effectively what google ads do in a fine-grained way.
January 31st, 2006 at 9:25 am
Redrafted second paragraph (is it possible to set up previews of comments?):
I suspect something that does create a conflict of interest of sorts is that many people don’t get invitations; they may have said something positive or have been neutral previously but jealousy changes that.