In one of my recent articles Wag the Dog, I discussed the problems in our country with corporate scandals and the print dot.com debacle. We have an obligation to demand better from the people who serve and provide us with information, whether it is a politician, priest, consultant or even an industry trade publication.

The situation is this. Many articles you rely on for accurate expertise have been paid for by industry suppliers one way or another. And sometimes, the consultants writing the articles may have been paid by someone other than the publication they are writing for. I think it is time all publishers, journalists, and consultants disclose if there are other sources behind the articles that appear in magazines, documents and speeches.

I can tell you from my own personal experiences that information quite often is tainted for public consumption, with the sole purpose of creating the appearance that a company was growing at a rapid rate or the company is a technology leader, when it was not. Some consultants are offered stock options and some are allowed the option to invest at a “special price” for mentioning the company in speeches or in white papers. All I ask for is disclosure of this information.

As a result of the downturn in our economy, many executives rely more heavily on industry publications, case studies and white papers as a source for product information.

For the record, not all articles written by a consultant or outside source, regardless of who pays for them is inaccurate. Quite often they are accurate because of the integrity of the author and the author’s strong belief in the product or company. However, printers and print buyers have a right to know if the author or speaker has a vested interest or is in a business relationship with companies mentioned. Its not always a bad thing - but it should be disclosed.

The same rules must be applied at trade shows and seminars. You have paid good money to see someone of significant stature speak and everything should be on the up and up. I have attended industry events and know of speakers that have been paid to mention companies in their speeches. Some did so because the companies mentioned in the speeches are their clients, others did so because they had been offered pre-IPO shares. So here you are thinking that the technology from company “A” is the next big thing because the industry pundit says so. But the truth may be his mention of the company was literally paid for.

CNBC (financial TV news network) now has a policy of full- disclosure regarding the analysts who appear on their programs. Analysts are asked what holdings if any, do they presently have in the companies they recommend or even discuss.

If I do write an article, which includes a client I represent, I will disclose this information to you. If you disagree with anything I write, you have the right to respond.

Here are the following suggested changes, which I believe will move us in the right direction.

1. If a case study or white paper is paid for by someone other than the author of the document. This information must be disclosed.

2. If companies mentioned in a speech, article or white paper are clients of the speaker/ author, this must be disclosed.

3. If industry suppliers are told that their products will be mentioned in the articles of a publication as a result of their advertisements, this must be disclosed (or in this case, avoided).

If you think about it, its the right thing to do and will pay off for all parties in the long run.