Are news and reviews subject to different ethical standards? That appears to be the message from CBS in response to Dish’s controversial Hopper DVR. Official CBS policy now bans CNET from reviewing products implicated in lawsuits, but claims CNET still has complete editorial independence over “actual news.” On Monday, CBS issued a statement to the New York Times calling the ban on the Hopper “an isolated and unique incident in which a product that has been challenged as illegal.” A spokesperson noted that not only CBS but other media companies had brought suit against Dish. “CBS has nothing but the highest regard for the editors and writers at CNET… and, in terms of covering actual news, CNET maintains 100% editorial independence, and always will.” (Spokespeople for CBS, CBS Interactive, and CNET did not return requests to respond directly to The Verge for comment on this story.)
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.