The argument is whether it's favoritism of characters or players.
People were bitching about the rewards I received as Tamhas. Yet I've never interacted with Korsgaard before (aside from a failed Paladin from several months back), and this is the first character beyond 30 that I played from this IP.
So why did I get those rewards? It isn't because I'm Java (as if that would mean anything). It's because they liked the way Tamhas acted in the game.
Imms reward characters that they like. They don't reward characters that they don't like. That should be obvious to everyone.
The players who complain about being targeted tend to consistently play characters that are not well-liked (by players or Imms). Those players seem to think they "deserve" rewards, but never play characters that are as well-liked, respected and impactful as someone like Drissa.
It isn't about Drissa's player being a favorite of the Imms, it's about Drissa the character being a favorite, based on what Drissa the character does.