by Emma King (@EmmainSA) This week I was bemused to read the British papers up in arms over the revelation that BBC bosses accepted free tickets and hospitality to various Olympics event. The chattering classes and BBC critics were alarmed that their supposedly objective media may have been swayed by something akin to bribes.
It seems almost laughable here in South Africa. We’ve become almost immune to stories of corruption and bribery, and our state owned media outlets have given up most pretence at objectivity.
However, it raised a question for me, and got me thinking about the power of the freebie – and how it’s taken for granted in the world of PR.
We know that if we want a journalist to review a product, we need to send them that product to try out. Or if we’re running an event that we want them to cover, or have them interview a client, we cover the costs. Make sense. Fair play.
But when does this cross the line? When does a free sample become a gift? When do travelling costs become all expenses paid holiday? And what is demanded in return? At what point does it become akin to Faustus making a deal with the devil?