Journalism Ethics in Food Critiquing
November 2nd, 2005
Dan Chou's Story of the Week
I almost didn’t give this article a second glance. But once I read it, I found it so applicable to many recent things we’ve been discussing in my journalism class too, in regards to ethics.
We trust our food critics to give us honest opinions about what different places offer to eat. It never occurred to me that these opinions could easily be affected by restaurants. Back in high school, whenever we went to a restaurant, they never knew that we were critiquing their foods, and we paid out of our own pockets — the meals weren’t even paid for by the school newspaper. In the world of large newspapers, however, you run into greater issues of restaurants advertising in the paper and possibly celebrity journalism. A food critic may develop a name for himself and thus be easily recognized at restaurants. The restaurant may recognize him and unofficially try to treat him better.
Regardless, this is one part where journalistic integrity needs to be maintained. What the newspaper prints should not be affected by whether the restaurant advertises or not. And while the review is an opinion of the individual critic, that review should remain honest and not be affected by outside sources.
I really like the last two paragraphs; some people say that this isn’t any different from other types of critics getting freebies from other areas. “I see that as really apples and oranges,” Babcock said. “When a theater critic goes in to review opening night, that critic is going in and getting the same course, if you will, that everyone else in that same restaurant is getting. It’s not a separate playbill. Anthony Hopkins is not acting in a solo performance just for that reviewer.”
Food critics, maintain your credibility and let us know the truth about restaurants!
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