Paid to Blog?

Famed political bloggers like Markos Zuniga and Jerome Armstrong have been under scrutiny for possibly getting paid under the radar by political campaigns to speak highly of a certain candidate. Not only political parties are taking advantage of the reach successful blogs have to the public. Advertisers and sponsors are getting on the boat as well. This proves a threat to bloggers who wish to maintain the integrity of the craft. Blogger Aaron Brazell said in his article on The Politics of Blogging:

I don’t want to get into the politics of all this. However, if bloggers are to be seen as credible sources, it would seem to me that being transparent in endorsements and dealings should be a natural requirement.

In my opinion, a blogger who gets paid to say something on behalf of someone else has become a commercial machine. I understand what Brazell means when he says the blogger's credibility is threatened once his readers realize they are reading a sales pitch, not an actual opinion. Even if the monetary exchange was out in the open, credibility could still be challenged because an ulterior motive has been introduced. Tris Hussey had this to say about getting paid to blog in someone's favor:

For the “sponsored post” or “paid placement”, the same thing goes. Just because you pay me, doesn’t mean you’ve bought me. I won’t sing the praises of you or your product. Frankly, you don’t want that really. I’m of no value to you, as a place for your ad or information, if no one is reading me anymore.

I would have to respectfully disagree with the point of the statement. Yes, the blogger becomes of no value to the sponsor if he's lost his audience, but the fact that the sponsor would decide to keep paying proves it's either a fool with money or there is an influence over the blogger that is bought. In general, I'd say it's a bad idea to accept money for blogs which are supposed to be the blogger's opinion. If the money is too attractive an offer, the best way to go would be to attempt to keep it under the radar. After all, if it's your opinion and someone wants to pay you to say it because it lines up with them, why risk the chance of losing your credibility or losing the offer?