My Ethics
It’s important to me there is no question about my objectivity, especially when writing about automobiles – which happens to be what I write about most often. Below is a set of guidelines that I hold to dear and fast. Some of the publications I write for do not have guidelines like these, some don’t have any at all, some are more strict and some are less so.
Gifts
As a general rule I do not accept gifts from manufacturers. The exceptions to this rule are:
- If the value of the gift is less than $25 (usually a hat, clipboard, notepad, etc – which most of the time I don’t take anyway because who needs another hat, clipboard, etc.)
- It can be consumed in one sitting, i.e. a meal or a drink. Not multiple beverages over the course of an evening. Also, manufacturers often send a Christmas card and some chocolate, I will accept these
If I am at an event and I am offered a gift I politely refuse, if a gift is sent to me I will return it with a poite note explaining my personal gift policy.
Travel
I will accept travel to an event that is paid for by a manufacturer. I will also accept business class tickets as it is much easier to complete work while in business class and almost impossible to with the amount of room afforded to you in coach.
Accommodations
I accept the manufacturer’s choice for accommodations but if given the choice will opt for the lesser value accommodations that has Internet connectivity.
Vehicle Loan
I will not request or accept a vehicle loan for which I have no intention of reviewing or do not wish to use as a refresher. Regarding a loan for the purpose of refreshing; it’s important when writing a review I can write intelligently about that particular vehicle’s competition. A car review in a vacuum has little value, driving borrowed vehicles for the purpose of refreshing aids in the overall quality and value of my reviews to the reader. It allows me to include details about competitors in each review even if I have not written a full review of a competing product.
