Welcome to UBC Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
Hello world!
1
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Conflict of Interest
Conflict of interest is an ethical issue that can bound some and others not so much. Michael Arrington, owner of TechCrunch blog, seems to be an exception when it comes to his stand on conflict of interest. Arrington blogs about a variety of companies. He has initiated a venture capital fund to invest in start-ups, even in ones that he has written about. His conflict of interest is a concern. Journalists, for example, abide by the rule that they are to avoid conflicts of interest by distancing themselves from the people, organizations and issues they cover. So should industry bloggers uphold the same ethical principles as journalists? I believe they should. According to Arrington, bloggers differ from journalists as journalist views are shaped by friendships, romances and personal opinions. Yet, blogs are shaped by opinions just as well.
In July, 3.5 million people visited TechCrunch; that is a lot of people who are influence by Arrington’s views! Professor Wasserman said, “If I were active in the market and this guy has a proven track record, then sure, I’d want to read it.”
Arrington wrote negative stories about a company despite his investment in it. Read that story:
Link to the article:
A comment on another blog: