I’m certain most of you have seen the latest company under fire regarding PR spin. Microsoft recently hired market researcher Gregory Kohs to fix inaccuracies in technical articles on Wikipedia. And then they came under attack by several journalists about the ethics behind it all.
It makes the content of Microsoft’s own Encarta encyclopedia highly suspect. After all, if they’re prepared to pay contributors to create FUD (acronym for fear, uncertainty and doubt) in other publications, what do they get up to when they control the whole thing?
It’s a free encyclopedia; freely written, freely edited, and freely read. It’s not a place for paid spin and PR doctors.
But the question remains: Why is it so bad to pay someone to write accurate information about your product, service, or company?