Let me tell you, there’s an unbelievable amount of pressure in the internet big leagues. But let’s be fair — and I’ll try to spare the righteousness / comeuppance is a bitch — would any of these companies be in this spot if they didn’t all do something (or years of somethings) to deserve it?

Final, wandering thought on the Gerstmann scandal (which I’ve been paying very, very close attention to). Although it’s technically impossible to know what happened between he and GameSpot (until someone officially steps forward, which looks unlikely at this point), the lessons are still clear. There is no audience without trust, and there is no trust without credibility and fairness — both things you never, EVER tamper with. As a fellow editor, I’m extremely sorry to witness these events transpire, and my support for Jeff Gerstmann knows no bounds. Still, like McCrackengate before it, I’m somehow really glad this happened, as it reminds everyone — audience included — that standards and quality are still king.

P.S. -Yeah, I’m glossing over a couple of other bad-tech-press-moments here… Apple (duh), Apple, Verizon and Scoble, who else?