Originally Posted by
GUWonder
A disclosure may be considered sufficient by some.
The blogs doing so (i.e., making disclosures) -- or not -- doesn't really make much of a difference to me. Certainly, I don't consider "paid" bloggers to be any worse of a "problem" than any of the airline/industry/government apologists/shills or others who are on -- or closely related to those on -- an airline/industry payroll of some sort and post on internet boards whether or not having their own blog or not.
+1.
Yes those kind of opinion-pressurers are more problematic than bloggers on the make as long as the bloggers acknowledge the relationship @:-) I was taken aback by how many DL apologists revealed privately that they were a. employed by DL, b. were in an ongoing commercial relationship with DL or c. spouses of DL employees. This often happened in response to direct questions sometimes posted on the board, sometimes revealed by PM.
I don't believe this behavior is entirely confined to DL, although for some reason, the preponderance is very high there (like BA, they strive in Stalinist ways to control/scrub social media if they can...truly, these two entities are Borgs).
By contrast...
^ to Michael O'Leary...who makes no effort to "spin" the media. At least he rants directly at his own customers via Twitter and the media at large, and his message to them and everyone else is more consistent and honest than any other airline manager.