The iPhone community has given a strong reaction to the news that some app review sites have pay-to-play policies.

More than a few developers responded by promising to avoid sites with these kinds of policies.

Paid reviews are not against-the-law, although critics of the practice say requiring money in exchange for reviews creates an inevitable conflict of interest, bringing a publication’s credibility under the microscope.

In October 2009 the FTC issued guidelines which required bloggers to provide disclosure on reviews whenever goods, like money or gifts, are exchanged.

In the journalism industry, the ethical debate about pay-to-play operations has been longstanding. However, undisclosed paid reviews are indisputably unethical because they manipulate the public.

Jason Snell, editorial director of Macworld and a former journalism teacher at UC Berkeley, said that his publication already follows “old-school journalistic practices…”

“…In the end, it’s all about being as transparent as possible so readers can make up their own minds about who to trust, and about not posing as something you’re not…Readers need to know that true editorial reviews are fair, and aren’t the product of any quid pro quo involving money or any other favors…. People need to know where the opinions they’re reading are coming from.”