Aussie Lad's Mag Editor Sacked: Red Dead Redemption Linked

"Easily one of the best games of 2010, Red Dead Redemption expands on GTA IV’s eye-popping effects and features an open-world environment for players to manipulate." So says Australian Zoo Weekly's standing copy regarding Rock Star's upcoming Wild West game. Apparently this game and an email from Rockstar's Oceanic PRs have lead to the professional demise of one Toby McCasker (pictured).

McCasker was, until given his marching orders from the lads'-rag following two written warnings, the deputy entertainment editor for Australian Zoo Weekly. He recently used Facebook to post excerpts from an email that he says came from Rockstar Games' local publicist to magazine staff.

News.com reports that the, since removed, excerpts read:



McCasker is quoted as stating that, "I did not sign up to become a journalist to write advertorials masquerading as editorial. This 'cash for comment' culture that is fast becoming the status quo within print media bothers me a lot."

It's the 'cash for comment' statement that has caused the Internet to light-up. Sadly, however, with the relevant email now deleted - and no trace of any mention of cash for comment in the News.com story - it's unclear exactly what part revenue for reviews played in this saga.

Aside from initially refraining to comment on the dismissal, confusingly Zoo Weekly editor Paul Merrill stated, "I've never known any game maker to ask for a positive review and they've certainly never received it."

Confused? We were. The likelihood of a publicist not attempting to exert pressure for positive coverage for a product its being paid to publicise beggars belief. It's in the nature of the job of writer and editor to be able to respond to such pressures while maintaining objective coverage. To pretend that it never occurs is to mislead the reader. Also, in the unlikely event that no game maker has ever applied pressure... how on earth could it have received a positive review?

However, having initially said that it would be "wrong for me to comment as to why someone is dismissed", Merrill then responded separately to Kotaku, stating: "Toby McCasker was sacked for a number of reasons, one of which was his decision to post a private email on his Facebook page. This email was not referring to a game review. He should not be considered a credible source of information on this matter."

He further states that, "I would like to make it clear that at no time has Rockstar EVER sought a preferential review in return for advertising. In fact no games company has ever suggested this. And Zoo would never give a positive review to a game we didn't rate in return for ad dollars."

The story rumbles on.