It might give them a chance to improve it and make it better.

If it was just given to you, just like that, , I’d say it’s fine just to ignore writing about it, since there are no obligations or connections to the provider. However, if you at some point did, in any way, accepted the offer (even though without the promise to write about it), it is a tough choice.

At the end of the day, though, in such cases, in almost every instance I refrain from writing about it. I tell them I will take a look at it, and if I think it seem fit, I will write about it. But what if I hate it? I think there’s enough accusations/disrespect/whining online as it is, so no need to add yet another item to that pile.

Moral obligations? Let’s be pragmatic: if it’s just a product, we know in reality that a lot of the coverage is, to some extent, sponsored. So, unless it’s a business doing something wrong against children/minorities/warfare etc, I don’t think you have any ethical reasons, that you “owe” the world to let them know about this.

Obligations to the people who gave you the offer/benefits? As long as your straight up front with them from day one that you may or may not write about it, I think it’s fine to just not write. If they contact you and ask, be honest, behind closed doors. Good companies will appreciate the sincerity, and use the constructive parts of your criticism to make a better product.

That aside, you make some valid points ask genuine questions. I think the blogger should write both positive and negative. If he doesn’t feel like writing, then you can’t call him unethical.

If he were to write something negative and then be forced to take it offline, now that would be unethical.

By doing that, I’d have approached it fairly and taken a detailed look at the product, which is what the company hoped for, while at the same time stating my generally-negative views. It’s honest, and it’s not bashing for the sake of it.

Then, if the product / service were of a sort that would allow this, I’d either return it / unsubscribe from it, or offer it as a competition prize on the blog. Or give it to some charity that needs that sort of kit. Or something else that didn’t involve keeping it.

The phone was, in short, horrible. I got rid of it really quickly. I wrote a short post about how I thought the phone wasn’t for “people like me.” I think that was fair. Let other people make their own decisions, but for me, the phone was a bad bad fit.

I don’t feel bad about that at all.

That said if it’s a negative review and I’m either paid for it or it is from a small independent filmmaker, I’ll give them the opportunity to refuse the review first. I won’t change it, just let them see it and give them the refusal option. I also let them know all this up front.

What I’m hearing though is that people really don’t think it’s a requirement to write it. And I do like the idea of contacting the company and letting them “reject” the review.

In the end, if you take it to an extreme and say “There is a blog out there that makes it a practice to only review things the author likes” and you ask yourself if that’s an ok thing, I think the answer is absolutely yes.

Give a nice intro, then your honest opinion, and leave off with something nice about it.

Everything, no matter how bad, has something nice about it.

I think said blogger has quite a few responsibilities (he can shirk on them, but it’s much nobler to fulfill them).
One responsibility is to the company who sent it. Perhaps it was some jerk in marketing who sent it over looking for only positive reviews, or maybe it was someone who wanted honest feedback.
Either way, said blogger has a duty to inform them of a deficient product, and what they can expect others to write, say, and/or experience.

Said blogger a responsibility to their readers to keep them from buying junk, otherwise, what credibility do they have?

Lastly, said blogger has a responsibility to themselves. Being honest, in good and in bad, and being open, are both benefits to the said bloggers overall life.

Again, I think sandwiching it is the best option. Honest and kind are not antonymns. :)

Any person can have a negative experience with anything. I (for one) would never use a cell-phone, but could I open up a blog and write about it? The rest of the world seems perfectly happy with them.