The latest Obamacare controversy involves $4.8M in contracts paid to popular medical advice website WebMD, contracts that were not disclosed by either WebMD or The Health and Human Services Department.
The investigative report published by the Washington Times states the contract includes:
- As much as $126,826 for a single 5,000-word review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.
- Up to $68,916 for a four-minute video from an opinion specialist.
- More than $140,000 for an eight-question online quiz.
The first thing that popped into my mind when I read the article was…
What about Federal Trade Commission’s Disclosure rules?
If you’re not familiar with the FTC’s .com Disclosure rules they mandate that bloggers and social media users disclose when they are receiving any kind of compensation for a blog post, Tweet, product review or affiliate link. Failure to do so can result in a big fine.
I’m not sure whether WebMD violated the FTC rules or not. If they did, it seems unlikely the FTC will enforce them, anyway. But regardless this seems like a good opportunity to get people’s attention remind folks about the disclosure rules.
Here’s a link to a good article in Social Media Explorer that explains the disclosure rules. If you do any blogging, product reviews or affiliate programs at all, it’s absolutely essential you know the rules.
Above Reproach
While the FTC rules are somewhat of a pain in the butt (especially for social media – it’s tough to fit “full disclosure” into a 140 character tweet), we as Christians should be disclosing compensation, freebees, and partnerships anyway, regardless of the law.
Scripture calls Christian leaders to be “above reproach.” (1 Timothy 3:2) As bloggers, social media users, and communicators we are leaders. Trust is essential to our leadership and influence.
What are your thoughts on the importance of disclosure and the FTC rules?
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Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.
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Blogging is my passion. I love to work friendly with clients and bring new visitors to my blogs who searching for real contents.