Moz is not a disinterested party. They sell services to promote marketing that doesn't involve paid media.
I am in the paid media business, and I am not disinterested either as such. I feel strongly that advertising is the lesser of evils of the alternative is marketing messages buried deep in content and social spam.
Hello, I'm the author of the Moz piece and just wanted to respond. (No, I do not work for them -- I'm just a contributor.)
1. They do not sell marketing services. They sell marketing software.
2. I pitched my article to them, and they were very skeptical about the topic at first. Obviously, the issue can come across as very conspiratorial and sensational. But once I showed them all of my credible sources and citations and explained everything in-depth, they decided to publish the piece.
3. Again, I cannot speak for Moz, but my sense is that they will publish anything that they perceive to be very helpful and interesting for their audience -- digital marketers. They more that they do so, the more that their brand will grow among their audience and the more that people will visit the website to read the good articles.
I am in the paid media business, and I am not disinterested either as such. I feel strongly that advertising is the lesser of evils of the alternative is marketing messages buried deep in content and social spam.