I recently unsubscribed from a Christian book review site. Why? For the same reason I avoid most Christian book review sites — they’re not objective. As I said in one of my all-time most reviled posts, “most Christian reviewers seem to feel obligated to give good reviews to their brethren.” What results, in my opinion, is biased reviews — reviews that are really endorsements, infomercials portrayed as product reviews, unrestrained four and five star awards without merit.
This really, really, bothers me.
So, I have to admit, while many people have lamented the FTC’s new guidelines requiring bloggers to disclose “compensation” for their reviews (i.e., complimentary copies) and to be honest about their “affiliation” with a product provider, I’m not that bothered. In fact, I’m hoping it might force some Christian reviewers to actually address their “conflict of interest” as it pertains to endorsing Christian products. But I’m not holding my breath.
According to THIS HELPFUL ARTICLE by former attorney Whitney Hoffman,
The whole point of having FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials is to try to ensure truth in advertising, so that if the typical consumer sees an ad on TV, in a magazine, or online, they are aware it is an ad, and that the information contained within it is reasonably truthful and reliable. (emphasis mine)
The sticking point for bloggers / reviewers, however, appears to be what constitutes an ad. The guidelines suggest that any compensatory relationship — free products for review — should be divulged in order to reveal any potential bias (i.e., free products for good reviews). Which leads Hoffman to conclude:
Blogging as a medium is now going to need to take itself more seriously, and bloggers are going to have a new level of professionalism expected of them as it concerns endorsements or reviews that have some sort of exchange or quid pro quo attached.
Yes, I can still complain that the service stinks at my local grocery store. But if the local grocery or one of its competitors gave me anything or paid me to write a review of their service online, I need to disclose that in my review, so people can discern any potential bias.
As much as we Christian bloggers should embrace this as a challenge for “a new level of professionalism,” we should also think deeply about the notion of “potential bias” in our reviews. The essence of the FTC guidelines simply involve truth-telling. And, last I checked, telling the truth should be an important part of being a Christian. However, many Christian blogger / reviewers appear disingenuous and biased when it comes to reviewing Christian products. This should concern us.
No, I’m not suggesting that Christian reviewers are in some type of racket, that they’re getting paid off by some author, musician, or producer, to gush. I’m suggesting that the world of amateur Christian reviewers has become an echo chamber. Somehow we’ve come to view criticism of our Christian brethren as unloving. Furthermore (and this is where it gets sticky), many Christian reviewers are trying to break into the industry they are reviewing. So an aspiring author who is hoping to sign with Publisher X potentially hurts themselves by panning Publisher X’s products… especially when said Publisher is providing freebies.
But the point I’m driving at is this: The “potential bias” of Christian reviewers has more to do with ideology than reciprocity. In other words, we can start being more professional in our blogging / reviewing, not just by disclosing freebies we receive for review, but by admitting the shared ideology that inclines us toward more positive reviews.
Christian authors / artists often simply want other Christian author / artists to succeed; we want to see our ideology advanced. It’s led to unhealthy backscratching and, ultimately, erosion of artistic integrity among people who should be at the forefront of the arts.
Yes, there is some reason to be suspicious of the new FTC guidelines, namely that the FTC judges newspapers and bloggers by different standards. Furthermore, many fear that the FTC’s intrusion into the blogosphere will lead to further restrictions and surveillance. Either way, I’m not nearly as bummed by these guidelines as some of my fellow bloggers appear to be… especially if it helps us become better truth-tellers.
Your thoughts?
I'm not sure that it will change anything. After all a commercial on television is not going to provide a negative review of the product. The goal is to get you to buy said product. The only thing negative you hear or see in a commercial or ad in a magazine, is about a competing product. So how would this change anything?
I don't think it will change a thing. The reviews you don't agree with or care for, will continue to be what they are. Readers who find them via Google or Yahoo will see the disclaimers and be able to say, "Oh, it's an advertisement. Got it." It's not going to do a thing for the person who got the free book. Instead, for the consumer, they will be aware that like with any advertising, they might want to take it with a grain of salt.
I think it does Christian authors more harm than good if we're patting each other on the back undeservedly. All it does is make us look like a big social club, for one, and it also encourages poor writing.
Since I'm a member of CFBA and am on the review lists for certain other CBA publishers, I inquired in all instances about what they expected from my reviews. All of them have no requirements and welcomed honest reviews. So I'm thinking that the majority of gushy reviews are in fact honest from that person's POV or they are intimidated by the "small" world of publishing and don't want to offend another writer or publisher. I certainly don't want to offend another writer or publisher either, but not to the point where I'm going to rave about a novel I detested. Since I select novels from the list that I expect to like, it's only when I'm disappointed with the book that I give a "bad" review. Inevitably when I give a poor review, there will be plenty of readers who absolutely "loved" the book. If I stick with a book, free, bought, or borrowed, I'm going to give my honest opinion of it if I review it.
My point being: the FCC should stay the heck out of it. Good grief. Will this government ever stop trying to micro-managing our lives? Stay out!
Nicole, you've reminded me to clarify a point I may have missed. I personally know of no Christian publisher or author who openly requests a favorable review in exchange for free books. None. And I definitely don't want to be misunderstood to suggest that there aren't honest Christian reviewers out there. There are. That said, I think the problem of biased reviews is generated more by the "us vs. them" mentality of some Christians toward the secular market, the confusion of "love and approval," and the "industry connections" aspiring authors seek to nurture. Thanks so much for your comments!
I'm a bit confused on how this new guideline is supposed to change anything. Rather than a sort of 'good ol' boy' network (which I think is what you're bemoaning), what I see more are reviewers who only review the books they actually loved. If they choose not to review a book, maybe they didn't like it but they chose not to publish a negative review.
That's freedom of choice. That's, perhaps, a lifestyle choice based on Scriptures such as "if anything is good, etc., etc., think on these things."
I have a bunch of reviewers who submit for an ezine I edit … most of them fit the description above — if they don't like a book, they won't review it because they don't want to be negative. Occasionally I get a review with some negative comments and some positive comments — and those always stir up a little controversy.
Part of the problem, I think, is that authors need to get over themselves and realize that not everyone is going to love every word they write. And that's OK. God certainly has people who don't like His book! I actually had an author snub one of my reviewers at a gathering … I was hurt for my reviewer and for the author. And I was surprised. The review in question was, overall, positive.
Michael, I think it's pretty common — in fact, it may be the norm — for Christians reviewers to operate in the ways you mention: they only publish reviews of the books they like. Personally, I think that's disingenuous. Either way, the FTC rules seem (insofar as book reviewers are concerned) more about disclosing when a reviewer is, in reality, just an advertising arm for a certain publisher and not really an unbiased reviewer. So by publishing only positive reviews, can't Christians come under the charge of being dishonest and biased, i.e., false advertisers?
Biased, maybe … not sure. But dishonest? No. I don't see that. None of us can review every book we read (well, I should say 'few of us' to avoid those dang absolutes…) so how is it dishonest to make the ones we choose not to review be the books we don't like?
To the biased question: Is that a bad thing? Are we not biased toward those we like, love, have a relationship with? Do you not prefer to spend time with your wife, as opposed to someone else's? (Hint: Be sure to say yes here…) Of course, with our BEST friends we do also serve in an iron sharpening iron role … but there are only so many people, again for most of us, that we can be in that kind of relationship with.
Continuing thoughts…..
Yeah, I do prefer to spend time with books (and women*!) I like. Maybe what's at issue is the expectations we bring to review sites. When I go to a review site — whether its for electronics, restaurants,movies, or books — I am expecting an unbiased review. I am not expecting the reviewer to be in collusion with the product / producer they're endorsing. Is this not the case with Christian reviewers? If Christian review sites are indeed biased toward Christian products, the consumer should be made aware of that. Thanks for your comments, Michael!
*my wife
But do you really want the government butting into the process, Mike? You are intelligent enough and certainly discerning enough to catch on to that collusion/endorsement mentality in a review. What about those cites where the reviewers are biased against a publisher (i.e. a Christian publisher)?
It feels more like a smokescreen for sniffing out and identifying particular types of reviewers if the FCC gets involved. Let readers do their own evaluations.
Mike, there's a world of children's book bloggers who do the same thing–review only the books they like. They'll even state this policy on their blog.
The difference as I see it between book bloggers and advertisers is that no one is forcing the public to go to those sites and read the content, whereas, if I subscribe to a newspaper, the ads come with it. I need to know which is ad copy and which is news copy.
And even in knowing, I still need to be discerning when I read because journalists do have their biases. Are newspaper reviewers influenced by the fact that they received the books they review free of charge? Do readers of said reviews even care?
I suspect what matters the most is whether or not readers finds the reviewer steers them in the right direction. In other words, if a reviewer says, This movie is a must see, and I go, hate it, and feel like I wasted my money, I don't care a whit why the reviewer said what he said. I will be much more cautious, however, regarding his recommendations.
When it comes to book bloggers, why do visitors continue to go back to those sites if they think they're being unfairly influenced?
Couple other points. I'm with Elaina and Michael—I don't see how this ruling will affect the quality of reviews. By saying "I got this book from Bethany," will reviewers NOW feel free to "pan" the work? I don't think so. I don't think it will even encourage them to give gentle criticism as part of their mandate to tell the truth.
I also agree with Michael about authors' reaction to less than stellar reviews. Recently an author Twittered or Facebooked the link to a a 2-star Amazon review that featured a criticism, though there were many positives included. The author's note was to the effect that he hated reviews like that.
Granted, I think it would be hard to read something posted publicly that disparages my work, but reviews are supposed to guide readers. Authors should "man up," I think, and grow from criticism, or pray for the reviewer, or pray for God to work in spite of the bad review. Ripping reviewers or becoming defensive doesn't help.
Becky
Thanks, Becky! I agree with you (and Elaina and Michael) that this probably won't change the quality of reviews. And, on the issue of discernment, I doubt the FTC guidelines will change readers' perspectives of the review sites they frequent. Then why would they "continue to go back to those sites if they think they're being unfairly influenced"? Because that's what they want. It's indicative of how thick a bubble we Christians live in that many of us don't want objectivity when it comes to critiquing our art. You're an exception, Becky, as I always appreciate the tone and objectivity of your reviews.
I would just add, Mike, that certain secular reviewers have a built in bias toward any fiction which suggests or demonstrates Christian themes.
Nicole, I'm just not convinced that a conspiracy against "Christian themes" exists on that great a level. Are some reviewers openly hostile toward Christianity? Absolutely. But I've read far too many "good" reviews by Publisher's Weekly of Christian fiction to be able to level the charge confidently. In fact, I would counter by suggesting that Christian reviewers often approach secular books with their own "built-in bias." Thanks for the comments!