There always is some level of cooperation. Developers give interviews because they want an article published about their game and create more interest for that game. The website is used by the developers and the website uses the developers to have content.
We get free keys offered without asking for them, we give those keys away here on RPGWatch. It still is a promotional activity by the devs/publishers to do so and create news about the game. Not for us, but for many sites it is also a way to attract more visitors and ad revenues.
We are offered free keys for reviews. Most of the time they remain to be unused and end up in one of our giveaways, for the simple reason that there is nobody who wants to do a review. They don't ask for a positive review, they never do. I also think that our reviewers aren't influenced by having received a key (it doesn't look that way). Anyway, what I tend to do when there are negative points in such a review is provide the developer an opportunity to provide feedback. They do not always do that, but whether they do or not, it does not change the outcome of the review in any way, but there might be some additional notes from the developers. If the reviewer buys the game, we normally don't do that.
On shows like Gamescom, we usually get some goodies and a press kit. This stuff piles up, and I tend to give most of it away, like the giveaway we had last year.
All of this is give-and-take by the publishers/devs and a media outlet, like our website. And yes, most of it is meant in one way or the other to influence the other party.
Where it becomes a bit shady is when a publisher pays for ads on a website for a specific game and that website publishes a review about that game. If it is a very negative review they they might loose future ad income from that publisher. If it is a very positive review the review might become questionable because there is also this ad campaign. We prevent this situation from happening as I think it is bad form.
We also get on a weekly basis a mail about a paid for article about a game or whatever. We get paid if we publish the article. We never have nor will ever do that, but I guess there are sites out there who will do it.
Once you get into the situation that you have to make a living out of ad revenues of a site, your relationship with publishers/devs change. Staying objective becomes even more difficult than it already is.
As to paid visits. We have been offered a paid visit only once (well twice, but that was also from the same company). I didn't do that as I live a two hours drive away from them, so I just drove there and back on the same day. They just provided nourishment
However we don't all live close enough to developer studios, so it might be tempting to accept an offer as the alternative is to not go there. It doesn't have to be negative, but it could.
