Would a blog authored by Pepsi scientists have been OK if ScienceBlogs had given it to the company for free? If not, what exactly is different about a research institution’s blog? Can readers put their full faith in these five blogs the same way they can with an ostensibly independent individual’s site? Or is there a difference, the way there is between reading a press release describing a study and more skeptical media coverage of the same research?
When ScienceBlogs quietly took money from Pepsi to create a blog written (ostensibly) by their scientists, it sparked an outcry – and in some cases, an exodus – from the bloggers on their site. Check out this cautionary tale about ethics and integrity in the pursuit of revenue.
Updated: Simon Owens pointed me to his post on The Next Web with some fascinating insights and comments from the bloggers involved. Definitely worth reading.
