FTC what?

Okay, so the FTC, which doesn't apparently care about real advertisements, is trying to make it so that endorsements on the net are easier to believe.

So according to wired, the FTC is threatening to fine any blogger who does a review after getting a freebie and fails to disclose the fact.

The FTC says that the established media have established credibility, and so are not subject to the rule.

Ummm. Wow.

There really ought to be a punch line, but I'm too flabbergasted at the illogic.

Update November 5 2009 - Colleen Lindsay at The Swivet has now posted a wonderful disclaimer, which I now adopt. Paul Neuhardt's disclaimer starts like this:

DISCLAIMER: Be it known by all here reading that the following may or may not be the case in any given book review I post:

1. If I talk about a book, I might have gotten it for free from someone with a vested interest in the success of that book. On the other hand, I might have found it abandoned in the seat pocket in front of me during my last plane trip. I’ll try to let you know on a case by case basis.

Click through to The Swivet to see the whole thing.