Clarification on Working for DNA Direct

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 17, 2007 in DNA in General

Good morning, Controversy! Since my post last night, there have been a number of questions and concerns about my new affiliation with DNA Direct. In the interest of full disclosure, let me make a few things clear.

1. One reader emailed to ask why I never told anyone I was employed by DNA Direct when I wrote about them in the past. For one thing, I only signed the contract with DNA Direct on Tuesday, May 15, 2007. As soon as I signed the contract, I edited my About page and my LinkedIn profile to include DNA Direct.

I have never hidden the fact that I was acquainted with the folks at DNA Direct. I have interviewed Lisa Lee for Genetics and Health and I’ve even posted about meeting them in August of 2006. The DNA Direct Talk blog is a part of The DNA Network. I have been hiding nothing and will never hide anything. (Except maybe my dress size!)

2. There was also some question of conflict of interest. Truthfully, I don’t believe we can expect anything any longer from blogs, newspapers, magazines, etc. As much as we’d like to believe that people fully disclose who they work for or that there are no conflict of interest on blogs, everyone is biased.

For example, PC Magazine Editor-in-Chief Harry McCracken quit earlier this month because he was told to kill a negative story about Apple and Steve Jobs. And, Steve Rubel, author of the popular blog Micro Persuasian who also works for global PR firm Edelman, was vilified last year when his company was involved in the fake Working Families for Wal-Mart blog even though he had no personal role in the project. And let’s not even talk about all the people who are involved in Pay Per Post. People like Steve Rubel, Derek Lowe of The Pipeline, and me are actually more upfront than people who blog anonymously or who don’t reveal their employer’s name for fear of repercussion. (By the way, Derek is also looking for a new job. Think his new employers will let him keep up the blog?)

In Bloggers and the Church-State Wall, Steve wrote:

Now the same thing can be said for me - or any employee blogger. My blog is ad free to avoid potential conflicts of interests. However, you might wonder how much of what I write here on my personal site is influenced indirectly by Edelman’s clients or their interests. That’s fair. Nothing is write is influenced directly, I assure you. Still, you might wonder how who I work for shapes my thinking.

Edelman has hundreds of clients, including many of the largest global brands in the world. My employer, like many other large companies with bloggers, is hands off. However, I personally try to steer clear of writing substantively about our clients because, no matter which way I go, someone will lose - the readers, me, my employer or the clients. Further, when I write about a client in passing, I will always mention that they are one (assuming I know about it - we’re a big firm!).

This is how I walk the church-state line here - or at least attempt to. We’re all making this up as we go and there will be bumps on the ride.

And as of today, I have also removed all ads on Eye on DNA in case they pose a conflict of interest with my current project. I will still consider offers for direct advertising but only on a very selective basis. (Any takers? ) And, I will mention my affiliation with DNA Direct in any post discussing other DNA testing companies.

The moral of the story for readers is: Never forget your thinking cap.

3. Barry Starr wondered in his comment whether I would have to refrain from reviewing or expressing my opinions on any upcoming new products offered by DNA Direct. In my interactions with DNA Direct over the past two years, I have never been asked to tone down anything I’ve said and, believe me, I have not always been rah-rah about every test they market, e.g., deCODET2 for diabetes risk (read the comments too!).

Part of the reason I believe I was hired by DNA Direct (aside from my charming smile) is because I can see things from both the perspective of a consumer and a company. The main goal of a DNA services portal is to help consumers make the choices that are right for them. I am not an extremist in any area of my life and try to understand issues from every perspective although I obviously have opinions. I have always been honest about what consumers can expect from at-home DNA tests. I strongly believe that consumers should be given a choice to buy or not to buy. I just as strongly believe that consumers have a duty to educate themselves.

4. Reader P also wrote me and hoped that I wouldn’t be limited in the topics I can write about on Eye on DNA. To that I say, “Certainly not!” Ain’t nobody gonna stop me from posting geeky lab t-shirts! But seriously, one of the main reasons I chose to work for DNA Direct was because Founder and CEO Ryan Phelan was so generous in allowing me to continue to blog outside of the company. And by the way, Nia, I absolutely believe Ryan is open to my creativity and desire to grow and in fact, in one of our earlier phone conversations, she encouraged me to have a venue where I can freely express myself. Their former Director of Business Development, Jason Bobe, kept The Personal Genome blog running throughout his time at DNA Direct. It would take a lot to get me to give up editorial control over Eye on DNA.

~~~~~
I know I sound defensive, but I don’t want anyone to think I have been bought or sold out. I am as beholden to DNA Direct as any other employee to the extent that I am actually being paid. But I am absolutely NOT being controlled. It was nice to get a vote of confidence from Dr. Gene Sherpa Steven Murphy who knows that I will “keep up the good fight for the patient.”

My driving passion is to get everyone excited about the power of DNA and help people make sense of the genome revolution. Part of that work will be done at Eye on DNA and part will be with DNA Direct. A DNA services portal will be a great resource for anyone who is now considering or will be considering DNA testing in the future. And that will probably be all of us. I hope you’ll agree when DNA Direct unveils its preferred provider partnerships in the next few months!

Update: I’ve had to edit this post to remove some personal identifiers.

Tags: dna direct, steve rubel, genetics, genes, dna, blogging, ethics, bloggers, blogs, genome, genomics, science

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11 Comments »

Comment by Berci Meskó

2007-05-17 11:32:56

Good explanation. Don’t worry and continue your great work of blogging. We’re watching!

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Comment by Hsien-Hsien Lei, PhD

2007-05-17 11:45:50

Thanks, Berci. You’re not the one behind the binoculars I see over yonder, are you??

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Comment by Berci Meskó

2007-05-17 17:13:47

Oops, I got caught!

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Comment by Mary Emma Allen

2007-05-17 20:06:56

Hsien,
Great explanation. Anyone who knows you realizes you try your utmost to be fair, honest, and ethical. I enjoyed working with you in the past and always appreciated your insight and input.

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Comment by Hsien

2007-05-18 10:01:59

Thank you for your support, Mary Emma!! I try my best.

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Comment by Steven Murphy MD

2007-05-17 20:47:30

Hsien,
Keep your chin up. There will always be people who question our motives. If you stand for something you will never fall. I have complete trust in your ability to represent the public and stand for what you believe is right. This is a great experience for you and I know you will learn quite a great deal. Whatever Happens, I always got your back
-Steve
http://www.thegenesherpa.blogspot.com

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Comment by Hsien

2007-05-18 10:03:02

Gosh, Steve. Thank you so much! I have to admit I thought you might not want to be friends with me after I shared this news. Keep me on the straight and narrow, ok?

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Comment by Barry Starr

2007-05-17 22:07:33

Gosh Hsien I really thought I was asking a simple question. I didn’t mean to stir up so much controversy. I was just curious given my new hesitant steps into the world of blogging. I think if you remind people that you work for DNA direct whenever you comment on one of their (or a competitor’s) tests, I can’t see any reason for a problem.

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Comment by Hsien

2007-05-18 10:03:54

No worries, Barry! I’m glad you asked and it’s an important issue to discuss. It gave me an opening to state my position on these issues. You know I love to pontificate esp. about the intersection between blogging and genetics!

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