Gamespot finally released an official article about the Gerstmann firing. The article does not provide any additional insight in the controversy instead simply stating he is not with the company, they "wish him nothing but good luck in his future endeavors" and that "CNET Networks nor GameSpot has ever allowed its advertising business to affect its editorial content" while reiterating that legalities and company policy are preventing them from speaking further on the issue.
Based on the rumors and comments from across the web including past and present GameSpot employees, it seems that while article says there is a separation of church and state, that doesn't seem really true as it seems the editors are more then a little away of the impact their reviews have on sales, suggesting at the very least a rather sizable leak in the wall.
CNET's Buzz Out Loud podcast was the first CNET related site to break the silence which could be summed up as "[Human resources is] not going to come and tell us why a dude got fired." This after a two hour mandatory meeting allegedly about the podcast delayed the meeting. How you can have a two hour meeting but apparently share zero information is beyond me. Basically the hosts reiterate their support of CNET and feel "that CNET will never dismiss someone based on outside advertiser pressure."
Regardless, the article nor podcast is not reassuring and there is definitely something going on behind the scenes that can only have a negative effect on how GameSpot and CNET site editors perform their jobs. Read the sites but sadly the information contained within is buyer beware from now on.(source)
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