One other thought. Who would want to buy from a company who edited and restricted articles and opinions based on how it effects their sales? How could you trust them afterwards when you ask for a recommendation of what equipment to buy? When Adorama publishes articles that seem to go against their better interest, then a buyer can feel he's dealing with a company that puts honesty and forthrightness first. That's the kind of a company I want to do business with. I've always dealt with B and H before. I think I'll give Adorama a shot in the future.
In my opinion it's not about honesty and controlling content (and what that says about integrity, as you rightly infer), it's more about the provenance of that content.
I think this could have been handled better by doing something that publications have been doing online and IRL for
decades - label it as an Op-Ed piece (before the fact, not after).
Yes, I know, people should know better about the internet, but most publications use "disclaimers" for a reason. They want you to know it is the opinion of the writer. True, some will always be offended, but you'd be surprised how something this simple can make a difference to a majority of people.
A simple change to the page header could label all articles as opinion, and
most people would be angry with the author, but not the "publication." Not labeling it as such makes it seem like the views expressed represent the opinions of the company.
It is further complicated by the email response posted in this thread, which suggests the company wants people to upgrade their photography to digital.
One need not agree with someone's choices in order to respect those choices. Failing to do so may alienate a customer to a point that, if they ever do convert, they will do so via another vendor. Many want to do business with companies they feel value their business, not companies that seem to merely be pandering until customers "see the light."
From a practical standpoint, what is important is how customers feel about the company. This is very basic for any business. Few make grand exits, choosing instead to gradually move elsewhere. A company responds by gradually shifting to a different format/content/product to make up for the losses, however small they are, believing the market is changing more or faster than it truly is.