Trashing Dear Torrington: The Sequel
March 16, 2008 on 3:18 pm | In Local, Main |
Update 7 a.m. Tuesday: This morning I discovered a correction The Courant made after Altman’s review. I’ve had to write corrections, too. But nothing as tortured as this. Wow, they must have gotten a lot of heat from restaurant management.
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The Torrington restaurant scene has been trashed again — and by the same author.
Regular readers may recall that I wrote a post about a year ago on a Hartford Courant restaurant critic’s unkind review of The Venetian. In a scathing piece, Courant writer Elissa Altman spent seven paragraphs complaining about poor Torrington before she climbed down from Mt. Olympus and got around to disparaging the Venetian’s food.
A source who lives in Torrington (not 22-year-old Mayor Ryan Bingham, at right) tipped me off to another Altman review — this time of a new upscale place called Prime Steakhouse. Again, it was an ugly and mean-spirited review that prompted boatloads of complaints. And there were some errors of fact requiring a correction or two.
But the astonish thing is that a couple of weeks ago The Courant pulled the review from its website, apparently without explanation — until today, that is, when reader representative Karen Hunter wrote a column attempting (unsuccessfully, I think ) to set the record straight.
[Aside: The cached version of the Prime review is still available through Google. Click here to see it. There is also a lively discussion of the issue on the Chowhound blog.]
I am still confused after reading Hunter’s explanation. It looks like the editor in charge of vetting the review wouldn’t say much to her own paper’s ombudsman. But a reader asked the question that was on everyone’s minds:
“The Courant has published hundreds of articles in the past with errors, some severe, that needed correcting, but I don’t recall any that were pulled from the website. I would like an explanation why this review was pulled and not merely corrected.” Unfortunately, Hunter wasn’t really able to get at the truth.
I have another question: “If the review was deficient enough to get the writer fired, then how did it get past the editors?”
Don’t get me wrong. I am all for honest reviews. In fact, any review (be it food, art or book) has to be honest or it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. The problem is that those reviews must also be fair and they should not take belittling swipes at other patrons, the chef or the locale.
The Courant owes it readers a better explanation. Perhaps Ms. Altman will resume writing for the Huffington Post, where you can attack public officials from a safe distance and without fear of such a ferocious backlash.
As for me, Altman’s review had stirred my curiosity. “Can I have a reservation for two?”
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This just shows that its not only radio and tv journalism that has sufferd from a big dose of poor reporters/reviewers, etc
Comment by Marshall — March 17, 2008 #
Marshall,
A journalist friend of mine has a theory. In an era of increasing austerity, as we in the media rely more on freelancers, “citizen journalists” and user-generated content, this kind of embarrassing and bogus journalism will become more common. I hope he is wrong.
Comment by Terry — March 18, 2008 #
I carefully read the original review by Ms. Altman. She did not taste or eat the prime rib, but based her comments on what she saw on someone else’s plate at another table???? That blew my mind!! Did Ms. Altman have a memory lapse and think she was still in high school looking over at a fellow student’s test paper??? Ms. Altman, in my opinion, clearly hates Torrington. I think I speak on behalf of many Torrington residents -
“Ms. Altman, stay out of town!”. Lucille A. Paige
Comment by Lucille Paige — March 18, 2008 #
I remember reading somewhere once that the great theater critics made their reputations panning shows, not praising them. Alas, it is easier and more fun to write a negative review, but I know first hand the dangers. I once worked at a glossy magazine in NY and we did a story about mail-order smoked turkeys. I made fun of how ugly the one was from some small family farm in Texas. It tasted delicious but I wrote something snide about how you wouldn’t want to put this on your table. Well, the piece was published and I got the angriest phone call from the owner telling me that people were canceling orders and now he might not be able to pay for his kids’ college education. I learned my lesson. When you criticize someone or something in print, make sure that you can back up your claims factually (which is a given in jounrnalism) but morally and ethically too.
Comment by Dan — March 18, 2008 #
In the early 70’s, while in high school, I was a way part time music critic for Summertime Magazine, published by the Lakeville Journal. Maybe I was an early “citizen journalist.” I reviewed all the popular music series shows at Tanglewood and the shows at a very popular place called the Lenox Music Inn (long closed to make way for condos). I remember enjoying access to many fine concerts, including Bruce Springsteen, NRBQ, Chicago, Seals and Croft, Linda Ronstatt, James Taylor, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson (that was interesting doing a backstage interview and photographing a famous blind man). There were many other great artists I can’t recall right now. Quite an education.
Anyway, it was great fun, but I had to write everything before hitting the sack, or I’d end up stuck for words and have to make something up. I can’t recall exactly what I wrote in my review about Bonnie Raitt’s show, but the gist was I found her music and slide guitar wonderful, but her constant feminine chauvinism chatter tiresome. Afterwards I was slammed by what seemed like everyone I ran into in town, including many good friends and classmates, for panning the show of such a fabulous rising star. I like to think I’ve been forgiven since then, and certainly my review didn’t adversely impact Bonnie’s career whatsoever, but as a high school guy who took the job mostly just to score free press passes to great shows and impress girls, I was amazed to discover how many people actually read the reviews, and even cared.
Comment by Mark — March 18, 2008 #
Dan and Mark,
That’s the thing about reviewing anything. People’s livelihoods are on the line.
I once reviewed a play performed at the White Hart about 10 years ago. The wife of a friend of mine at Berkshire School was in the play. I really couldn’t stand her voice but I restrained myself and said her singing “was adequate.”
You wouldn’t believe the dirty looks I got from the couple the next time I saw them. I think to be a successful reviewer in a big city, you either have to be a mean person or someone who doesn’t mind being mean and facing the consequences.
Comment by Terry — March 19, 2008 #
Anton Ego, the restaurant critic in “Ratatouille” (voiced by an excellent Peter O’Toole), seems to be this woman’s hero.
Comment by Amy — March 19, 2008 #