Hardware Review Sites: Payola

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Manufacturers pressure publications from all sides when attempting to secure headlines and positive reviews. No money actually exchanged hands during this analysis, and the working relationships lasted less than a week. There are approximately 150 circulated English-print technology websites; our team specifically targeted the 35 largest publications. We determined the size of these publications via Alexa’s online index and publication-supplied web statistics. DailyTech was included among this list. Of 35 online computer-related publications, 23 (66 percent) refused editorial influence in exchange for advertising. Of remaining 12, seven publications (20 percent, Fig. 1) agreed to editorial service in exchange for advertising or cash.