Champion or cheerleader?

Story

OK Dave Thomas, here's the beef: There's a group of Cruise Critic members called the Royal Champions. They have been given this title from Royal Caribbean after analysis of their posts and have been invited to some events such as press conferences and a pre-inaugural cruise.

The charge: Some see these posters as corporate shills, essentially being paid off to toe the company line.

The defense: The Royal Champions claim that they have done nothing wrong. They have to pay their own hotel and travel fees to get to the free events. Some state they are shocked that they were contacted because they are sometimes critical of the cruise line.

Where I stand: I've noticed the Royal Champions (at least the ones who identified themselves on their posts) for many months. Though it was never clear what the distinction meant, I knew that many selected were long-time, fairly fervent supporters of Royal Caribbean. I believe the Champions are correct on one point: they are all not cheerleaders. Don't get me wrong, there are a few members who I could point out (but won't) that exist in the community completely bathed in their bias (the company is perfect, the company is awesome, I've never cruised another line and never will, etc), but let's face it, these people are pretty easy to identify and ignore anyway because they obnoxiously advertise their beliefs without being able to identify that they have painted themselves as company clowns. Other Champions, though, I respect (even if I sometimes don't agree with) because they are well-versed, well-spoken, and will call out the company on things they don't like.

The verdict: Cruise Critic has strict guidelines where travel agents, tour operators, and cruise line employees are supposed to make their affiliations known to help ensure that the community is filled with people helping people, not shills or people-with-something-to-gain helping people. Everyone has a bias. However, special favors, even if the Champions complain about their cost or say they are not influenced by them, have a suspicious feel to them by their very nature. In my mind, as long as the Royal Champions advertise their affiliation (which many already do) like any other affiliated person, I have no problems with their presence or their title.