Richard Kaufman wrote:But we're not in mainstream publishing.
No one said you were.
Richard Kaufman wrote:Film critics get free tickets to the screening of films. They give either good or bad reviews.
Don't think they do, certainly didn't at the publishing house that makes the UK's largest cinema mag where I worked next door to them. They get sent DVD Screener copies that they have to return. The reviews have to be written and sent to print often before the movie comes out. With a 5/6 week lead time, they couldn't see the films in the cinema. Occasionally they would be private screenings at 20CFox HQ or whatever, but more often than not is was screeners.
Point is, unless you pay for something, or are only given a loaner, then there could be views that your review is biased.
Not in the least am I accusing you of this, just saying why mainstream magazines as a whole do not accept freebies.
Even niche stuff does this though, Leo LaPorte of This Week In Tech podcast always makes a big deal of buying everything he reviews.