Tech Reviewers on the Payroll: Who Do You Trust?
There is a firestorm brewing over two tech reviewers who may have been on the payroll of the companies whose products they reviewed. The Washington Post has a story revealing the connections of Corey Greenberg and James Oppenheim to various companies such as Apple, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Seiko Epson, Creative Technology, Energizer Holdings, Microsoft, Radio Shack, Atari, Mattel, LeapFrog Enterprises and Kodak. Each apparently charged the companies between $12,500 and $15,000 each to speak favorably about their products.
Public trust is a very fragile thing. It is difficult to create but very easy to lose. What's more, we need to be able to trust our institutions because if we can't trust anyone, society falls apart. That is, we literally become hermits hiding in our houses, fearful and untrustful of everyone and everything.
Hence, when that trust is broken, those responsible need to be held accountable.