A new type of promo plan is being sent around to all the YouTubers affiliated with Machinima. The promotion however could be seen as breaking the integrity of honest coverage in the world of journalism. So what is the deal?
Machinima are offering a cash bonus in exchange for positive Xbox One coverage.
Originally leaked on NeoGAF, the video group Machinima sent out emails to all their clients asking for good coverage of the Xbox One and in exchange they would get a nice little cash incentive.
If you are thinking it might have been a hoax email Ron Smith from Machinima also tweeted this (which has now been deleted);
Cash in exchange for specific positive coverage is a long-standing problem with many traditional journalists. This type of arrangement breaks the link between the journalist and the reader or watcher in this case. It also stands to whether this is ethical and should people such as YouTubers be using the power of their word to influence something which may not be true on their real opinion.
Many issues have come up in the past about media being bought out and this does not help the overall integrity of the industry. Some places and YouTubers are very up front about their advertising and how they work but there is no written rules about how to act ethically.
It depends how you take it but this is not cash for promotion. It’s about YouTubers with audiences who trust their opinion, not actually giving their honest thoughts on something because they might be getting swayed by the money.
Update: Microsoft and Machinima have made a joint response about the Promo Plan which has been under scrutiny.
“This partnership between Machinima and Microsoft was a typical marketing partnership to promote Xbox One in December. The Xbox team does not review any specific content or provide feedback on content. Any confidentiality provisions, terms, or other guidelines are standard documents provided by Machinima. For clarity, confidentiality relates to the agreements themselves, not the existence of the promotion.”
They are stating that the confidentiality agreement for YouTubers to keep quiet was not about the sponsored promotion but about the agreement itself. This response could also be because of the Federal Trade Commissions strict disclosure about sponsored advertising.
What are your thoughts on this? Do let us know in the comments.