Jim Walker, a maritime attorney based in Miami, argues in his blog post, Cruise Crime and the Indifference of Travel Writers, that many travel writers are extensions of cruise line promotional machines because they accept cruise industry advertising and free or discounted sailings.
Walker’s beef is that he saw scant coverage in the blogs of the recent passage of the Cruise Vessel and Safety Act and the Spill Act, both of which were opposed by the cruise industry.
Writing on July 3, Walker states: “These two new laws are truly historic. But you would never know it by reading the hundreds of cruise websites and travel-writer blogs.
“There are literally thousands of travel agents and travel writers who I follow daily on Twitter. But not one blogger mentioned either one of these new bills.
“The problem is that many of the travel writers and most of the cruise bloggers are shills for the cruise industry. They sell cruises or advertise cruise banners on their web sites. Many cruise lines invite them on all-expense-paid cruises in exchange for favorable cruise reviews.”
Walker notes that the Cruise Lines International Association, the industry trade group, lobbied against the adoption of the Spill Act because it would enable the families of foreign workers on cruise ships to recover damages in the U.S. for wrongful deaths.
“So it should come as no surprise that most travel writers and the CLIA cruise bloggers chose not to touch these stories,” Walker writes.
Walker says the exceptions to the rule are Pauline Frommer and Arthur Frommer, who have about the cruise line safety act and how it would enhance passenger security.
A quick search of the blogs finds some coverage of the new legislation, which was adopted on the eve of the July 4th holiday weekend, but the reportage indeed has not been overwhelming in scope.
So, does Walker have a point?
Are the “CLIA bloggers” — who Walker doesn’t identify — and “most travel writers” in bed with the cruise lines?
Indeed some are, even if Walker paints with way too broad a brush.
Maybe it gets to the difference between journalism and blogging. I’ve heard too much discussion in recent months about bloggers on press trips rolling over for the companies which paid for their trips.
At both the recent Travel Blog Exchange conference in Manhattan and an Orbitz bloggers’ summit several months ago, I’ve heard writers say if they’ve had a shoddy experience on a press trip, then instead of trashing the property or cruise line, they just won’t write anything.
That’s being, well, a shill — but there are plenty of travel writers, whether they went on sponsored press trips or not, who won’t roll over.
I don’t think someone is a shill because they don’t cover a topic.
Honestly, there are very few travel writers who I’d trust to authoritatively cover legislative activity. Most do not possess the political or legal background to do the topic justice, and misinformation and disinformation are dangerous.
That doesn’t make them bad travel writers (journalists, bloggers, whatever), nor does it mean that they don’t do they homework. Rather, like all things, it’s a selection of what can be covered well. No one has an obligation to cover this topic any more than any other topic.
What makes someone a shill is far more than not covering a story.
Most travel writers are not journalists covering a beat.
They go and write about a story, usually a destination, not about legislation. The only people who do cover that stort of thing are staff writers who work for newspapers.
I don’t think travel writers have much to say about anything that comes through congress like the passenger’s bill of rights. Most of the coverage of that is by plain old writers or the small number of people who report on the industry.
I also think the timing of the bill with the July 4th holiday has a lot to do with it. Everyone knows the best way to bury a story is to announce it just before a big weekend holiday.
Also, if writers are shills, then what can you say about a guy who’s entire career is built on suing the cruise industry?
If a free or discounted cruise is enough to provide bias, then certainly making an entire career off suing cruise lines dwarfs whatever economic bias exist for writers.
Can you trust anything a lawyer says who is just trying to drum up clients for another lawsuit?
And here lies the blind spot in the whole citizen journalism movement: people only like to cover the fun stuff. You’ll find plenty of destination travel blogs out there that talk about fun places to visit, but very little hard news coverage. As Gary points out, most bloggers don’t cover travel as a beat. That’s because they aren’t getting paid.
The implications go far beyond travel. Everyone wants to be a restaurant critic or a feature writer. No one wants to sit through city council or school board meetings or make daily rounds to the cop shop. So as newspapers diminish, you’ll see less of that coverage.
I’m a little surprised that we didn’t see more about this on the more news-oriented blogs such as The Cruise Log or Cruise Critic. Charlie Leocha at Consumer Traveler also handles these issues, as does Chris Elliott. I’m sure the latter two will cover in some way, as the implications of the legislation become more clear.
And also as an aside, nothing that gets released on the eve of the July 4th weekend gets much coverage as papers are thin and staffs are already out the door. Politicians know this and often drop big announcements or pass controversial legislation at those times (Friday at 5 p.m. is another popular tactic).
There’s a logic problem here. Not all travel writers go on cruises. Not all travel writers are shills. I’m sure that in the Venn diagram that illustrates this article, there’s an overlap between shills and travel writers and cruises. I’m also sure there’s an overlap between travel writers who are lazy and/or don’t care about the politics of cruising and shills. But there are some blanket statements here that just don’t make sense.
I also suspect that there are lots of folks out there who just didn’t know about the legislation you mention. I’m just one writer, but I’d rather go to the dentist than take a cruise, so even if the story flew across my radar, I’d pay it no mind. I think there’s another Venn diagram there, writers who would rather get a filling replaced than get on a megaship and writers who have no idea what’s happening in cruise news.
Pam: As I mentioned, Walker “paints with way too broad a brush.”
After listening to your panel at TBEX, I know full well that cruising is not your dream vacation. I’ve been on some Windstar Cruises, small ships, and I loved them.
I disagree with Mary Jo’s comment above, though, that no one has an obligation to cover any topic. I think cruise bloggers — not you, Pam — should include major legislative activity if they are trying to provide broad industry coverage to their readers. Hey, if people are going to write about cruising, then cruise safety issues should be near the top of the list.
Also, Mary Jo, if writers go on a cruise or take a press trip to a hotel, and then decide not to write anything if they had a negative experience, then that is not being an honest writer/journalist and does a disservice to their readers.
That, Mary Jo, is shilling, methinks.
Hey Dennis,
Don’t get me wrong. There’s plenty of shilling going around. I just don’t think it’s shilling to not cover a legislative/political story.
If a writer is covering the cruise industry, then yeah, sure, I’d expect to see something about it. But I think that an industry “beat” is substantially different from a “destination” beat or “fun cruise vacation” beat.
You go to different sources for different information, whether it’s television, print, or online. I like seeing how different people cover a story, their personal view points, etc. But I also think one should always consider the source, whether that’s a writer on a press trip, a beat writer at the mercy of an editorial board, or a lawyer who makes a living suing an industry.
Hi Dennis,
I think both you, Chris and the original blogger make a very valid point. And I don’t just say that because I drew praise in the article (but thanks for noting that my father and I were the exceptions to the rule).
A real travel journalist needs to understand that she not just about writing about the fun stuff and doing it in a vacuum. Travel is one of the top 5 largest industries in the world. It employs millions of people, and engages millions more travelers. A good travel writer will keep up with the industry as it intimately impacts the travel experience, though novice writers (and travelers) may not be able to see the puppeteers behind the strings.
As well, travelers depend on writers not just for reviews and colorful essays, but for thoughtful pieces on safety issues, new trends and where prices are going (I think its interesting that pricing is often not included in blogs on travel, yet its the number one factor that influences how actual travelers, not taking press trips, choose their vacations).
I think its pretty shocking that the dozens of bloggers who cover cruising didn’t even mention this new law, which is going to have widespread, and I think, very positive effects on the travel experience. They’re doing their readers a disservice, and perhaps (I would never say this definitively, but certainly the implication is there) betraying that their loyalty is with the companies that give them free trips, and not with their readers.
I know Chris has written many times about the death of professional travel journalism and the rise of “citizen journalism”. But as a member of the “old guard” I’d say that an issue like this one shows that there’s still a place for edited pieces, written by paid writers who don’t have to worry about angering the company they’re writing about (but instead can focus on what’s best for their readers).
Don’t get me wrong: there are some terrific, informative bloggers out there. But every once in bloggers miss the big picture, as they did in this case.
What? A lawyer calling travel writers shills? This guy specializes in lawsuits against cruise lines. His only point in writing is trolling for clients.
I didn’t cover the law because it doesn’t affect cruisers. Even major newspapers skipped the story because it affects cruise lines, not passengers. I prefer to write articles they’ll read.
Anne: I can understand you wanting to write articles people will read, but don’t you think improvements in on-board cruise safety would be of interest? As a cruiser who’s seen cruise-related crime, I know I’d be interested in reading about it.
Dennis:
Thanks for mentioning my blog. Some very good comments by your readers.
The issue is much broader than just the recent failure to cover the two new maritime laws. Many of our clients have been working for a decade to change the laws to protect the cruising public. And five clients with compelling stories appeared in Washington D.C. to urge Congress to enact these laws at cruise safety hearings over the past 4 years.
But many travel writers and cruise bloggers just look the other way. Or when they publish something, they repeat the cruise industry’s talking points.
Perhaps my brush is too broad, as you note. There are some great travel writers who tell it like it is. Chris Elliott immediately comes to mind, in addition to the Frommers of course.
But our experience over the last decade has been that most travel writers are in bed with the cruise lines.
Dennis …. I’ve done stories in the past about the chances of getting raped on a cruise ship, based on real statistics. Wish I could find it, but relatively speaking (and this is important) it’s minuscule. That’s the reason I don’t write about crime on cruise ships. A small group of people keep writing about cruise ship crime but if you check the major message boards, passengers don’t.
Regarding the new law, it covers cruise lines reporting crime, which they already do, to the FBI. Is this going to change what is already in place? Any evidence it is going to keep anyone safer than before? And, safer from what?
In terms of writing about the cruise industry I am the first to wave flags if something is wrong. I make every effort to be as unbiased as possible (read my Norwegian Epic review).
The things that affect piece of mind are hurricanes (skipping ports!), illness (see my writing about Norovirus), prices. In all these instances I remind cruisers that when they take possession of a cruise ticket they’re agreeing to the terms of a contract. It generally says that all a cruise line owes you is a bed and three meals per day.
Otherwise I steer clear of legal matters because I’m not an attorney.
Dear Anne,
With all due respect, the law is MUCH broader than you make it sound.
And I’m glad to hear you’ve covered the topic of rape aboard crime ships. But I’m wondering where you got the “statistics”? Up to this point, from my understanding, these types of stats haven’t been available, nor have the cruiselines been under any obligations to report crimes in a timely fashion, secure crime scenes, or have rape kits aboard. That’s going to change, along with the heights of railings, surveillance devices in public areas of the ships and along the sides (to catch video of people falling off), the safety measures features on passenger doors, and a number of other issues.
Looking forward to looking at your Epic review.
Cordially,
Pauline
My statistics were far from scientific. I got rapes reported by cruise lines to FBI and divided them into the number of cruisers that year. Then I did the same with New York — reported rapes vs. population. This was in the mid-1990′s. Certainly didn’t report my own “survey”, lol. I just wanted an idea to see how prevalent it was.
If crime was a serious problem on cruise ships you’d see it talked about on message boards (CruiseCritic, CruiseMates).
What’s interesting is the question of jurisdiction. When a crime happens on a foreign flag vessel at sea, technically the authorities of the country are in charge of investigating. The Bahamas? Panama, Monrovia? Right.
What concerns me more is outbreaks of norovirus on cruise ships. To my knowledge I’m the only writer who reports each outbreak.
What drives me nuts is passengers acting like children when a ship’s itinerary is changed due to weather. Sue the cruise line! Oh sure, it would have been great to call in Bermuda during a major storm. Well, do you sue a hotel if it rains during your visit?
By the way, I support the addition of cameras in public areas. If they act as a deterrent to crime, that’s great. Regarding railings well sure, although I can’t see how you can fall off the railing of a cruise ship, I’d have to climb over it. But people get drunk and do all kinds of crazy things. Years ago when a Carnival ship was leaving San Juan, a guy fell off. He was with friends and they were drunk and at least they saw him go. Carnival called the coast guard and a massive search was underway. Well, he landed on the beach — alive! He was 18 years old and very lucky.
It’s the nature of travel writing that most copy is positive – editors don’t tend to buy negative stories. It’s not something I agree with (and, in fact, I regularly get angry about it on my own blog) – but it’s pretty much the Faustian pact you have to make if you’re going to make any money out of travel writing.
That said, on the shades of gushing scale, stories about cruises are often the most shameless culprits.
David … I’ve seen gushing prose from writers who know nothing about cruise ships. A number of years ago a writer for the New York Times — very tough in her own writing — wrote a glowing article about a cruise she took on a ship that, by my way of thinking, had huge drawbacks. It was her first cruise and she had nothing to compare it to! Well everyone loves their first cruise and she was no different.
Many magazines will only run positive pieces. A number of years ago Travel & Leisure was planning to run a story about QE 2. They sent photographers — and their own models! — probably because the ship’s passengers were too old.
In order to write about cruises, I think you have to have a number of ships under your belt. Ships are only relative to each other … food is good/bad, cabins are large/small, etc., compared to other cruise lines in the same price point. You compare Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line … what are the pros and cons of each?
So I don’t know if writers are always blinded by cruise line p.r. people … sometimes they don’t know any better. They don’t know what’s normal in the industry.
This article, and the comments from Ms. Frommer, elicited a response far too large to print here, so it is published here: http://bit.ly/9EAuLL
Only thing to add here is that it’s a depressing that in some ways it’s come down to the age old argument about journos vs bloggers.
I’ve seen far too many travel trade press articles over the years (especially in cruise) where the gushing and lack of objectivity is pretty shameful.
But it keeps those cruise advertisers happy.
It’s not all good news…
http://tinyurl.com/3yepjv5
well done, TTG…
@matt – front up next time before blatantly linking eh
Riding a cruise ship is a different kind or experience. Before writing good about it, you need to experience it yourself.