CNET - The End of an Era?

It's been a while since I wrote a post... I've been extremely busy and honestly just haven't had the time.  However the dismay I've been feeling in the wake of the scandal at CNET this week has motivated me to post something.

There's no question that CBS was unethical in its request that CNET make a change to its awards based on current litigation between the would-be winner (Dish TV's "Hopper") and CBS.  It's also easy to understand that the editors were in an untenable position.  However I believe that there were certainly options and avenues available by which CNET could have saved its journalistic integrity.

I used to be a big fan of CNET, and a big part of that was that I trusted their product reviews.  When a large part of a company's worth is tied up in a reputation of impartial reporting, a scandal like this does incredible and irreparable damage to the brand.

I was, and am, a great fan of Greg Sandoval's reporting, and I am certain that he will land on his feet, with his ethics (and reputation) unscathed.  Would that Lindsay Turrentine had shown the same resolve and refused to cave to a request that, if it doesn't destroy CNET altogether, I am certain will tarnish its reputation for a long, long time.

I'm saddened that I'll no longer be able to turn to CNET for product research and recommendations... yet I'm hopeful that those who leave the organization in the wake of this scandal will take their outstanding sense of justice and impartiality to other media outlets, possibly changing them for the better.  So Greg, here's to you... may your vision of journalists as "truth tellers" spread far and wide!