In recent days a U.S. judge has ordered Google and Oracle to disclose the names of any writers it pays as consultants or promoters of their products and services. The order has puzzled many, but its deadline comes this Friday and is bound to compel the two tech giants to disclose.
The order came amid a court base between the two companies on seemingly unrelated infringement matters. But the disclosure will reveal which writers get funds as journalists from companies they might cover.
Emily Bell, the Guardian columnist and head of the Columbia Journalism school digital journalism centre, writes that the dilemma for bloggers is significant. She notes the need for tech companies to raise funds on the basis of word of mouth from many of the same journalists in their realm.
"As the power of individual journalists' words rises, salaries paid by journalistic institutions fall. The only real answer is increased transparency about the sources of information, and about individual and corporate payments; and for the sake of all concerned it would be better for this to come from within organisations, rather than from a court order."
The order came amid a court base between the two companies on seemingly unrelated infringement matters. But the disclosure will reveal which writers get funds as journalists from companies they might cover.
Emily Bell, the Guardian columnist and head of the Columbia Journalism school digital journalism centre, writes that the dilemma for bloggers is significant. She notes the need for tech companies to raise funds on the basis of word of mouth from many of the same journalists in their realm.
"As the power of individual journalists' words rises, salaries paid by journalistic institutions fall. The only real answer is increased transparency about the sources of information, and about individual and corporate payments; and for the sake of all concerned it would be better for this to come from within organisations, rather than from a court order."
