I do believe that the influence of hedge funds is so large that paid bash, whether it is a formally published article or the working of message boards, needs some type of disclaimer, depending on the size of the position.
I think that posting and size of position can be so influential that it approaches prohibited manipulation.
As another poster suggested earlier, it's one thing for a hedge fund to attack a company that has major problems. It's another thing for a hedge fund to attack a developing company that may be trying to do the right thing and is not scamming, not overly diluting and dumping, etc. The size of positions short, real or naked, added to negative posting, can have a skewed affect on such a small developing company. If you throw in a large fail to deliver position, and manipulation of charts, the trend can be devastating even if a company is not a scam.
Again, just an opinion and I could very well be very wrong. That's why I advocate full disclosure in this area and find it amusing that there are industry defenders who find a problem with full disclosure in this area. Yet, they are often the ones that argue, rightfully in my opinion, for full disclosure from the companies they bash.
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