Critics and Ethics

            I read a rather interesting piece I found on jimromenesko.com this morning. It appears to be in response to a letter although I can’t be sure; nonetheless it is beside the point. The article suggests that it is essentially unethical for a journalist to critique a restaurant without notifying those being evaluated. The author also says that wait staff and line cooks know when they are a serving a critic.

            I must disagree with this story for several reasons. I find it hard to believe that wait staff know an anonymous restaurant critic versus the average patron. I could easily go into a restaurant and evaluate the service without them ever knowing I was critiquing their every move. But it is also important that a newspaper critic remain anonymous otherwise I believe it is likely the staff would work hard to impress the writer. I believe the evaluation would be far more realistic if the staff believed they were serving just another average person. Lastly, I fail to see the lack of ethical practice by not notifying the staff they are being critiqued. How can one objectively evaluate the staff if the staff knows they are being assessed? I believe much communication research would suggest the outcomes of their actions would differ based on their awareness of assessment.

              It's important to note that any person could go into a restaurant and anonymously write a critique on their blog and it happens more often than not. I believe Yelp is an organization that does so quite frequently.