It would be completely unethical if this were the case, considering the Travel Channel is a Scripps company and should adhere to basic journalistic tennants (I work at a non-Scripps newspaper). The most likely reason the video resembles the Disney-produced stuff is they probably use a lot of "B-roll" -- aka file footage -- that is provided by Disney. It's shot and edited by Disney and provided to television media so that they don't have to allow camera crews in and out of their properties all the time. It's common practice for television publicity.
That said, I don't doubt that they send someone who has a predisposition to like Disney. Journalists (if you want to consider Travel Channel correspondents as such) are generally a pretty cynical bunch. I get teased constantly about my love for Disney, but I also get to go on any assignments they may want covered there because nobody else wants to do it. The TC is a little different in that they cover features and obviously there is marketing involved. Their hosts are a known commodity and they choose who they want to host the shows with that in mind.
Even the most cynical journalist would have a hard time bashing Disney after attending one of their press events. They are truly amazing and could win over the hardest hearted person in the bunch. I've never seen a bunch of media folks at any other press event act the way they do at a Disney event (and I've been to three of them). Even the more "serious" ones of the bunch can't help but get caught up in the fun they create.
I guess my bottom line is, as an independent media company I don't think that the TC folks aren't taking any money for their coverage. I certainly HOPE that's not the case. I think what you see is a genuine enthusiasm from the hosts they choose for Disney itself. The TC isn't really in a position to "go after" Disney anyway... that's the job of a more serious program or entity. If anything you'll see the programs about Disney diminish before you'd see them do anything negative about them.
The myth is that journalists are impartial... in reality there is no such thing. The goal is to be fair and balanced, and that's about as much as anyone can hope for.
