You're right to read widely about companies that interest you. You're productive when you follow blogs that cover new developments in the industries you're investing in or considering. But before you take everything you read for granted, consider your sources' potential biases. The mainstream media isn't always as independent as you think, and some of the blogs you may be enjoying could come straight from a company's PR department.
PepsiCo
Even more troubling are corporate blogs such as the (now retired) Brew Blog, which was operated by Miller Brewing (now SABMiller). It tended to discuss and diss competitor Anheuser-Busch InBev
The benefits of corporate blogging are clear -- for the corporations, at least. They get to disseminate the information and messages they choose. If their blog catches on, they'll attract regular readers to their website.
Admittedly, some corporate blogs can also serve readers well. The Garmin
The bigger picture
Blogs aren't the only media sources owned and controlled by major corporations. Check out the noted news and publishing outlets that fall under the umbrellas of these publicly traded companies:
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Disney
(NYSE: DIS) : ABC, ESPN. - News Corp.: The Wall Street Journal, Fox television, MarketWatch, Dow Jones News Wire.
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General Electric
(NYSE: GE) : NBC, CNBC, MSNBC. (GE plans to sell a majority interest in its NBC Universal to Comcast.) -
Time Warner
(NYSE: TWX) : CNN, TIME magazine, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, People. -
CBS
(NYSE: CBS) : CBS, Simon & Schuster.
Conflicts of interest abound, and it's not hard to imagine news personnel in these organizations being restricted in what they cover or influenced in how they cover it.
Whenever you receive information from the media, keep the ultimate source in mind. And remember, even biased communications can be valuable, by revealing what a company wants us to focus on.