Are you talking about print publications?

As far as I know Consumer Reports is the only one that does this still. Consumer Reports is a nonprofit, and they're run like a media company. Their staff research and write the content, pretty well!

I don't think this would work for user-generated content -- who would pay to be able to write an anonymous review?

I do think user-generated content is necessary for job reviews; you can't buy the experience of being an employee off the shelf and subject it to objective tests, like with technology products.

It doesn't have to be paid to write - but you have to pay to view the reviews just like you'd have to pay to read a magazine.

How would the authors know they could write a review if they can't view the site?

Isn't that trivially solvable by telling them on the landing page?!