C’mon Jim ⇥ loopinsight.com

Jim Dalrymple:

Whenever I see “Presented by Samsung Galaxy S4” I have to wonder. I don’t remember Josh [Topolsky] ever being so brutal—some might say unfair—on an Apple product that is clearly not finished.

While I disagree with parts of Topolsky’s criticism and find his response to a developer preview somewhat premature, it’s something else entirely for Dalrymple to accuse him of being biased and ethically deficient. From the Verge’s ethics statement:

Our company has its own advertising team responsible for selling ad space on our site. We do not accept money or other consideration from companies as a condition or incentive to write a review or story, whether favorable or unfavorable, on The Verge. All reviews and other editorial on The Verge are based on our editorial discretion, and not based on the desire of any company, advertiser or PR firm. Our editorial staff may not interact with the sales or marketing teams of companies or advertisers that offer products that may be reviewed by us.

It is unambiguous: the editorial and advertisement departments are separate. This is the way it has been in advertisement-supported media for a long-ass time. While there are instances of advertiser bias (PDF) in media, it’s a giant stretch for Dalrymple to accuse the Verge of it based on one editorial from their editor-in-chief.