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The Integrity of Game Journalists
ScoobyScooby writes "An interesting story went live on Games.net yesterday in response to a 'letter from the editor' penned by Dan Hsu of EGM. In his letter he accuses a number of publications and publishers of being essentially buying coverage and vice versa. A Games.net editor responds with his own take on things and the resulting comments and discussion are worth investigating. Are veiled accusations about improprieties really helpful at bringing gaming journlism to a more respected level? Or, do such accusations hurt more than they help? The Blame Game: Where Do You Keep Your Integrity?" GameSetWatch has commentary.
"It's no different from Payola and just as illegal."
No it isn't, illegal that is. People don't seem to understand that payola laws are VERY narrow and ONLY cover record labels paying individual radio DJs and radio stations for airplay of specific songs. That is the ONLY thing that is illegal, and this law is widely violated by using "third parties". And by "widely violated" I mean virtually every single song you hear on commercial radio is the result of payola. The laws are really about going after DJs who essentially are screwing the STATIONS by playing a different "payola list" than what the labels paid the STATION for. Radio is such a wasteland that DJs are completely willing to get fired for kickbacks, hence payola.