The practice of payola, or paying for positive coverage in the media, undermines the integrity of the media. It creates a bias in the information presented and blurs the line between editorial content and advertising.
One individual who has been accused of engaging in such unscrupulous practice is marketer, heart condition survivor, and published author, Daniel Wallock.
Daniel Wallock is a self-styled marketer. He has been accused of paying for editorial links on various media outlets, including Forbes, Inc, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, and The Next Web, a practice which was exposed by investigative journalist Jon Christian.
These paid posts feature positive coverage of Wallock and his work and were written by freelance contributors who were paid for their services.
Wallock has not commented on the matter. However, it is not uncommon for individuals and companies to pay for positive coverage in the media in order to promote themselves or their products. Many of these laudatory articles have been removed by the associated publications which have, in turn, severed tied with the alleged paid contributors.
The practice of payola undermines the integrity of media and creates bias in the information presented. The accusations against Daniel Wallock are a reminder of how this practice can be used to manipulate the media and deceive the public.
As readers, it is important to be critical of the information presented in the media and be aware of potential conflicts of interest.