NBC Analyst Admits Receiving Tech Payola

Details of a payola scheme by NBC tech analyst Cory Greenberg surfaced Wednesday, in which he was receiving upwards of $15,000 a piece from technology companies to positively promote their products on NBC's Today Show. The news underscores an emerging trend of questionable review practices, both online and off.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which broke the story, Apple, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Seiko Epson, Creative Technology, and Energizer all had at one time paid Greenberg for his services.

Greenberg denied any actual wrongdoing, saying that companies looked to him as "a spokesperson who could talk credibly and understandably about consumer products." However, he said he would no longer take payments to promote products on television.

Following the report, NBC official said the company was not aware of the situation, and since has changed policies to ensure a similar incident does not happen again.

The subject of journalists receiving outside money for product reviews and endorsements has become an issue in recent months, and not only in tech.

In January, it was revealed that Armstrong Williams, a prominent African-American conservative commentator, received $240,000 from the Department of Education to promote the No Child Left Behind Act on his television and radio appearances.