[_delirium]

Yeah, that's been a problem with reviews for a long time. In fact it's what Consumer Reports used initially to differentiate themselves: their "thing" was that they only reviewed products bought anonymously at retail (no free samples or manufacturer-provided review items) and didn't accept any advertising from manufacturers either.

Sites that receive free review samples and are supported by affiliate links are kind of the exact opposite model.

[wyattpeak]

It does in a funny way provide something of a metric for how willing the site is to be critical. Several video game reviewers I follow have stopped receiving product from some studios, which I think is a badge of honest review. Although it's not something you'd know easily so it doesn't help much in terms of finding good reviewers.