New and Used Car Talk Reviews Hot Cars Comparison Automotive Community

The Largest Car Forum in the Philippines

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 25
  1. Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    144
    #1
    Is it just me guys or do you also find it peculiar, to put it rather politely, that our local auto journalists never ever seem to review a 'bad car'? If they dont like an aspect of a car, say the ergonomics or the engine, they would always manage to describe it in words which are very polite - like 'the instrument cluster could have been done a little better as the radio buttons and the climate controls are confusing and hard to reach...etc. or something like i'm not saying that the engine is bad, its just that it doesnt fare well in comparison to the competition or something like the engine is a bit noisy and underpowered, but on the other hand, it has decent economy and for this price range, one does not expect top notch refinement...

    Could it be then that their lot unlike other types of journalists are not held to to a higher ethical standards? Because I find it also peculiar that most of the time when they review a car, they also seem to get a 'free' overnight or two day stay or even a three day stay in some nice hotel or resort in tagaytay, baguio, boracay or some other faraway vacation place, plus free meals and other various perks.

    Come on, a 'regular' journalist would lose his credibility or even get reprimanded/sanctioned by his employer if ever they receive a price or anything of value from other companies, especially from those which they had investigated. It would seem though that these auto journalists dont get bothered by the apparent conflict of interest or to maintain the image of impartiality that they even seem to delight in giving the minute details of the perks they received when they review a car like the hotel were we were billeted, free of course from **** company (thanks to Mr. ** of ** company, the handsome P.R.O. or president or VP for Marketing),had nice rooms and an amazing buffet. We were even given free complimentary shirts/shades/lotion and a free city tour, courtesy of course of *** company.

    Could it be then that these auto journalists give out 'polite' or even biased car reviews out of fear of being 'out of the loop' or being out of favor from the car companies and therefore might not be given in the future the chance to review other cars of such companies and/or given such perks when they test drive cars?

    Just thinking aloud. What do you think?
    BTW, most reviews I have the chance to read are from broadsheets, specifically the one we read allegedly 'from cover to cover'.

  2. Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    3,722
    #2
    This is going to be very interesting.

    Post away!

    .

  3. Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    14,181
    #3
    We have to admit too that they rely heavily on advertising from yep the same automakers that make the cars they are reviewing. So its only natural to lighten the criticisms... Ultimately you are the best reviewer so test drive. Their opinions are valuable, but yours is the most valuable.

  4. Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    1,099
    #4
    how did they review the chery?

  5. Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    144
    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Memphis Raines View Post
    This is going to be very interesting.

    Post away!

    .
    i hope so. its been bothering me for quite some time now and its the same old thing every week when I read the 'motoring section'. always 'superb car' or 'decent car' but never ever a bad car. then, they would mention of how beautiful a certain hotel or place where they were billeted and paid for by the car company of the car they are reviewing. goodness me.

    another: ever notice that it will always be a positive review of a particular vehicle which was the subject of a 'fun run' or 'long drive' consisting of a convoy of the same vehicle from one place to another. Of course, all expenses for the trip paid for by the car company.

    nagmumukha tuloy na parang mga spinmeisters/PR men sila ng mga car companies.

    in fact, one of the 'respected' and 'old guards' of the auto journalists would devote half or even 3/4 of his column to thanking the various bigwigs/hotshots of the car companies. Sometimes kahit birthday lang greet nya pa. Para bang thank you page/acknowledgement page ang column nya. then, irritatingly, the names of these top honchos are in bold faced font. para bang palaging nagyayabang na kakilala nya personally itong mga taong ito. and to think that the newspaper is devoting its valuable space for this cr*p.

  6. Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    45,927
    #6
    What do you expect?

    parang Jeremy Clarkson?

    pag panget, sasabihin panget talaga?

    our motoring journalists are nothing more but salesmen for the cars they write about

  7. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    3,872
    #7
    Well, the way these automotive journalists write about their expensive junkets (read: paid for by the car companies whose vehicles they are reviewing), they're better off writing about what they did during their summer vacation than giving an honest-to-goodness review about the car.

    In fact, this was what prompted me to stop buying a certain car mag because I couldn't understand why the articles had to digress and describe the places they go to rather than tell the reader about what they like and did not like about the car. Suffice it to say, I was better off buying a travel mag than read about that s#it.

  8. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    29,354
    #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Tailhook View Post
    Could it be then that these auto journalists give out 'polite' or even biased car reviews out of fear of being 'out of the loop' or being out of favor from the car companies and therefore might not be given in the future the chance to review other cars of such companies and/or given such perks when they test drive cars?

    You're hitting the nail right on the head.

    Any local professional motoring journalist who publishes a bad review of a car would suddenly find himself/herself without invites to sponsored motoring events and no company vehicles (from that certain car company) to test drive for the foreseeable professional future.

    It is a case of "you scratch my back and I will scratch your's" kind of thing in the local motoring industry. Those who are used to motoring shows like Top Gear UK or Fifth Gear where they independently review and tell the good and bad about certain cars will be greatly disappointed with local equivalents.
    Last edited by ghosthunter; December 5th, 2008 at 11:56 AM.

  9. Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    144
    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by uls View Post
    What do you expect?

    parang Jeremy Clarkson?

    pag panget, sasabihin panget talaga?

    our motoring journalists are nothing more but salesmen for the cars they write about
    I thought I was being frank and straightforward enough. But you don't mince words do you? hehehehe

  10. Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    45,927
    #10
    hehe


Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Integrity of our local auto journalists?