Wal-Mart, unchastened by disclosures earlier this year that it had been paying bloggers to sing its praises on their blogs, has apparently taken its public relations campaign in the blogosphere to its logical - albeit sordid and ultimately self-defeating - conclusion: Essentially publishing a fake blog, and paying a couple to write posts while pretending to be unaffiliated bloggers.

Wal-Mart has reportedly been funding the "Wal-Marting Across America" pro-Wal-Mart blog, supposedly published by a nice American couple identified only as Jim and Laura, who are traveling across the country in an RV and setting up camp in Wal-Mart parking lots along the way. The effort, launched in part to redefine the often-pejorative term "Walmarting," which can refer to the obliteration of small businesses when big-box retailers come to town, may yet come to stand for the obliteration of trust in the authentic voice of blogs when big marketers and PR firms settle in the blogosphere.

MediaPost writes that Business Week this week called attention to the promotional stunt by Working Families for Wal-Mart (WFWM), which was launched by PR firm Edelman and is funded primarily by Wal-Mart. "While there is a Working Families banner on the website, nowhere does it mention that Wal-Mart has paid for the flight, the RV, the gas, and the blog entries," Business Week writes.

Though in the Business Week piece Laura is identified as freelance writer Laura St. Claire, Jim apparently would not identify himself. However, watchdog group Wal-Mart Watch subsequently outed him as Jim Thresher, a 25-year employee of the Washington Post and a professional photographer. Thresher is in violation of the paper's policy on freelancing for special interests, WaPo executive editor Leonard Downie Jr. is quoted by MediaPost as saying.

Also quoted is blogging consultant Debbie Weil: "This is so foolish on so many levels, it makes me scratch my head. Everyone involved violated the basic rule: Be transparent. If you're found out, it comes back as a slap in the face."