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A question for journalists

Sunday, May 31, 2009 by Dave Winer.

I asked a question on Twitter: "An example of a non-monetary gift you couldn't accept from a company you cover? Why?" Permalink to this paragraph

Some of the answers... Permalink to this paragraph

Michael Calore: "copy of shrink-wrapped software i didn't review, comp tickets to a show/concert sponsored by a company i write about often" Permalink to this paragraph

Janet Ginsburg: "at businessweek (a while back) strong rule re no gifts. kept things clean. sm conf swag (pens, bags) but that's it." Permalink to this paragraph

Doug Levy: "just as physicians are inadvertently biased by trinkets like drug co pens, reporters need to vigorously avoid potential bias." Permalink to this paragraph

Freda Moon: "I was taught to accept no gifts from sources. None. Not tickets. Not a meal. Not even a cup of coffee. That last one can be hard." Permalink to this paragraph

Megan Taylor: "Tickets to sporting events. Reporters are supposed to be objective and accepting gifts compromises that." Permalink to this paragraph

There seems to be a consensus here. Permalink to this paragraph

Now a followup question. Permalink to this paragraph

Can you accept placement on Twitter's Suggested Users List if you are a journalist who covers Twitter? Permalink to this paragraph

Please this question is only for journalists.  Permalink to this paragraph




 
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A picture named dave.jpgDave Winer, 54, pioneered the development of weblogs, syndication (RSS), podcasting, outlining, and web content management software; former contributing editor at Wired Magazine, research fellow at Harvard Law School, entrepreneur, and investor in web media companies. A native New Yorker, he received a Master's in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Tulane University and currently lives in Berkeley, California.

"The protoblogger." - NY Times.

"The father of modern-day content distribution." - PC World.

One of BusinessWeek's 25 Most Influential People on the Web.

"Helped popularize blogging, podcasting and RSS." - Time.

"The father of blogging and RSS." - BBC.

"RSS was born in 1997 out of the confluence of Dave Winer's 'Really Simple Syndication' technology, used to push out blog updates, and Netscape's 'Rich Site Summary', which allowed users to create custom Netscape home pages with regularly updated data flows." - Tim O'Reilly.

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