Is Your Expert Being Paid to Hawk a Product?

I ran across a disturbing article in the Washington Post (came across it via ProPublica). Basically, the article says some of the experts you have coming on your shows... could have financial interests that compel them to push certain products. The Post highlights the case of one consumer "expert" who was pushing a security product for kids-- when she was being paid by the makers of the security product she pushed. The article is frightening, definitely worth a read-- looks like the practice is fairly widespread.

We know how it happens. You have a 2:00 hole to fill and company XYZ, whose rep is super savvy, offers up a timely, fun --good TV-- segment that's a no brainer to put in your show. But are you asking the right questions when you're setting up the segment? Namely, are you asking the guest: "Do you have a financial connection to any of the products or companies you're promoting in this segment?" Your viewers deserve better than watching essentially a 2:00 commercial. They deserve your extra effort to make sure the product or products being recommended are being done so gratis. Ditto so many of the satelitte interview oppotunities that come across your desk (also mentioned in the Post piece).

The line in TV is being blurred. Many stations have paid programming shows that look an awful lot like morning shows except the guests have paid to take part. At the end of the show, there's usually some disclosure. Disclosed or not, paid segments or products have no place in newscasts. I'm guessing the majority of these just slide by because producers are more and more harried, being asked to do more with less. But there are PLENTY of people who want to be on TV to give their opinions without being paid by some company to do so.

To Accept Free Stuff or Not to Accept Free Stuff?

Tickets. T-shirts. Meals. In TV, you get a lots of offers for freebies. Should you take it?

Let me start by saying I have a lot of good friends, good people, who disagree with me, think I'm off my rocker. That said, my feeling is this-- avoid even the appearance of impropriety. I don't like to take anything the general public wouldn't be offered. We know you wouldnt do a segment on the gym just because you got a free membership-- but what if you wanted to get an exercise expert, would you feel like you needed to call that gym? Slippery slope. Lot easier to make those decisions without having accepted stuff. 

Case in point. I did dirty restaurant reports for years. Once a month we did a restaurant that got a 100. Since it was usually lunchtime when we shot there, we'd eat there at our expense. One time I overheard a customer-- who saw us eating-- say oh now I know why they are here, implying we did a shoot for a free lunch. We started eating elsewhere after that. 

The media already has a bad rep. Why make it worse ?