Press Releases are Published as Press Releases

When we first started receiving press releases in 1998, we noticed a disturbing pattern. The articles in other publications were mainly made up of content directly quoted from press releases and press kits. There was virtually no original content from the journalist. Yet, the article byline listed the journalist as the author. That is totally misleading to the reader who expects independent commentary on an article.

We also noticed at the same time that the majority of the press releases and content we received from major companies were well written from an editorial point of view. Obviously there would be some bias because the company wrote it. But, disclosing that bias to the reader would solve the problem.

So, we decided, “Why not post the press release exactly as we receive it from the company and credit the source to the company?” This allows the company to give an official statement in their own words and lets the reader know that this information came directly from the company. It also allows us to devote our attention to finding other ways to cover the best in each industry or city.

We’re not investigative journalists. We’re not covering politics. So, there is no need for us to focus on the “hard-hitting” questions or scour for the scoop. There are companies who want to make great products for people who want them. Our goal is to provide beautiful coverage of the absolute best companies and products in each industry, city or lifestyle.

Press releases are just one piece of information a reader can use when researching a product, service or company. So, we use it as one of the many building blocks to provide coverage.