Violating their independence, LOL, that's absurd. They are not told what they have to write, they are free to BBQ the movie in the most scathing terms if they want to.
No they aren't free to write what they want. They are specifically instructed to omit certain items. Your misunderstanding is equivalent to saying that government censorship isn't a violation of free speech if they just require that the articles omit any mention of certain facts.
Incidentally, getting a free preview is also a violation of independence, however customary it is.