How Consumer Reports Has Kept Trust of Readers, CEOs
*By Tracey Cheek*
At a moment when public trust in media is at a low ebb and cries of "fake news" are rampant, Consumer Reports has managed to retain the trust of its 6 million consumer members ー and the ear of top CEOs.
Tech companies like including Tesla ($TSLA) and Facebook ($FB) have all made changes to their products or marketing thanks to investigations published by Consumer Reports.
The non-profit organization identified a security bug on Facebook's platform over the summer. They also worked with Tesla to correct a braking issue in the company's Model 3.
"We've been at this for 80 plus years, 60 plus labs; we test and rate over 8,000 products a year," Consumer Reports President and CEO Marta Tellado told Cheddar Thursday. "I think we've earned the trust of both manufacturers and consumers because of the rigor and evidence-based research that we use."
With the proliferation of product reviews online ー not all of which can be trusted ー Tellado said Consumer Reports is more important than ever.
"When they're in the marketplace making decisions, there's an imbalance of power. They don't have all the cards," she said, as well as online reviews that may not be trustworthy.
Throughout its long history, Consumer Reports has played a major role in shaping transportation safety, from seat belts to backup cameras.
As for the future of mobility, Consumer Reports will continue to monitor what's safe and what's not.
"We're seeing a lot of marketing that says 'self-driving' and that sends a message to the consumer that you don't have to pay a whole lot of attention ー you can take your hands off the wheel," Tellado said. "It's not self-driving yet. So we've come back around to some automakers and said that advertising is not safe, and they've responded to that."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/consumer-reports-in-the-digital-age).
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Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
