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Bruce Byfield wrote:
<snip>
>This week, a PR person contacted me about "collaborating"
> with a company. At first, the comments suggested that the intent was to
> produce some marketing collateral. However, further e-mails made clear
> that the point was to cooperate in writing reviews about the company's
> products.
>
> I replied that any reviews would be completely independent, and would
> need to be based on personal testing. The reply suggests that this is
> fine.However, I'm still uneasy.
>
> I realize that many people believe that journalists routinely establish
> this kind of special relation with the makers of the products that they
> are discussing. However, I have never worked this way. Nor, so far as I
> know, neither have the journalists I know best. Nor, when I've been
> doing marketing work myself, have I done more than send complementary
> copies of products to recognized reviewers who might be interested in
> the product or who requested copies.
Bruce, normally the answer to any ethical question is: "If you have to
ask, it is unethical."
YOur name and reputation ride with every review you give.
I am not clear on what it is you are being asked to do. However, it
sounds to me like they want the right to use your name in marketing
materials. If your review is unfavorable, they either simply will not
use it, or they will quote some of your diplomatic trashing comments out
of context. (As is done with movie reviews.) Just my thoughts.
--
Peter
"When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a
minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute-and it's
longer than any hour. That's relativity,"
- Einstein-
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