Dear NFL: Do you feel that warm, oozing sensation on your arms? It’s the wax melting on your man-made wings as you fly too close to the sun. In an astounding act of hubris, the NFL is reportedly asking some of the biggest names in music if they would be willing to pay for the privilege of putting on a show during the halftime of the next Super Bowl. [More]
payola
GSK Theoretically Not Going To Pay Off Docs Anymore
By 12.17.13
Giant drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline announced today that it intends to stop paying doctors to prescribe more of the company’s drugs, a move that could possibly entice other large pharma companies to do the same. [More]
Govt. To Publish Data On What Drug & Device Makers Pay To Individual Doctors & Hospitals
By 2.1.13
Want to know if your doctor is receiving free lunches and other perks from Pfizer, GSK or some other huge player in the pharmaceuticals or medical device business? Starting in Sept. 2014, that information will be made available to consumers courtesy of the federal government. [More]
Big Pharma Bucks Flow Into Medical Society Meetings
By 5.6.11
While some hospitals go so far as to ban drug sales reps from stepping foot in their halls, at medical society conferences there’s hardly a square inch that can’t be sponsored by a medical product-related company, reports ProPublica. At one society meeting this week, imperial banners adorn the sides of buildings. Logos are branded hotel key cards, cellphone charging stations, and carpets. Doctors can’t go to sleep without seeing another logo waiting for them on their nightstand. The goal? To influence, subtly and not so subtly, physicians into becoming emissaries for the interests of the sponsoring companies. [More]
Stanford U Investigates A Dozen Docs For Taking Pharma Payola
By 12.21.10
Twelve doctors at Stanford University Medical School are under investigation by the school’s disciplinary board after their names cropped up in a database of docs getting paid big bucks by pharmaceutical companies for speaking gigs, a violation of school policy. [More]
Drug Co's Pledge To Choose More Closely Docs They Pay
By 11.23.10
Several big pharma companies pledged to more tightly screen the doctors they pay to pimp their drugs to other medical professionals. The news comes after a major ProPublica investigation revealed the pill makers were paying princely sums to some docs with splotchy backgrounds. [More]
TechCrunch Intern Fired For Trading Reviews For Gadgets
By 2.8.10
TechCrunch canned a teen intern for asking for a MacBook Air in order to do a post about a Startup, Inquisitr reports, pointing out the site’s founder and co-editor Michael Arrington throws the kid under the bus, hardly acknowledging the lack of managerial oversight that made the practice possible. [More]
Texas Attorney General Shuts Down Dishonest Price Comparison Sites
By 12.7.09
ConsumerAffairs.com says that the Texas Attorney General has gone after a couple of online price comparison companies. The sites all claim to offer unbiased comparisons of retailers, but in reality the companies have been accepting payments in exchange for preferential listings. The companies, Intercept LLC and Everyprice.com Inc, both operated multiple sites with names like Flyingprices, Diduprice, and Lowpricedigital. All the sites are currently offline. [More]
Inside The Sorta-Secret, Swag-Laden World Of Mommy Bloggers
By 11.17.09
If you’re a mommy blogger with a strong following, companies will fall all over themselves to show you a good time. The Los Angeles Times examines the culture of quid-pro-quo marketing, in which bloggers get bombarded with free samples and go on all-expenses-paid junkets with the understanding that they’ll write positively about the products.
FTC Says Bloggers Can't Hide Endorsement Deals
By 10.5.09
For the first time since 1980, the FTC has updated its rules about endorsements and testimonials, and they’ve added blogging to the books. Now bloggers who don’t disclose that they’ve been somehow compensated—either with cash or with free services or products—can be fined up to $11,000.
FTC Wants Bloggers To Reveal When They're Being Compensated To Promote A Product
By 6.11.09
You know what’s worse than not having a big bag of M&Ms on your desk to enjoy while you work? Having to read a blogvertisement disguised as editorial content! Hold on, I have to eat some more M&Ms. Good gravy these are delicious. Did you know M&M’s cure malaria? It’s true! Anyway, the FTC says bloggers should reveal when they’re being compensated in some way to promote a product, and I agree.
BUY A MICROPONY
By 5.3.09
Besides Mangurt, we’ve signed a second sponsor to supplant the lovely bucks going in to donatetoconsumerist.com (which we are extremely grateful for, thank you, 468 people and $6,961.63). I’m really excited about this one, not the least of which is because I get to keep several free samples. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you, MICROPONY!
EAT MANGURT
By 5.1.09
Sorry guys, you just didn’t donate enough. Our tipjar, Donatetoconsumerist.com, has raised $5,639.67 so far with 392 donors. In these tough times, that doesn’t cut the mustard. We’re going to have to start taking sucking down some payola. We’ve already signed our first sponsor: MANGURT.
Did CNET's Gamespot Fire Reviewer For Angering Advertisers?
By 11.30.07
So much for even the illusion of editorial independence in video game reviews. One of Gamespot’s editors and top reviewers was apparently fired this week after writing an unenthusiastic review for the game “Kane & Lynch,” which was being advertised heavily all over the Gamespot site, according to…
