Comments on: AJC dining critic flouts a conflict of interest

By: fyi

fyi — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:11:45 +0000

I personally have no respect for the woman. I haven’t cared for her way before this fiasco. I am a server that has worked in several high end establishments. I have seen her hang all over certain chefs who get big time mention (frequently) in the AJC. She told me that she never had to worry about a date(prehusband)because all the chefs were trying to sleep with her to get reviews. How many of the top Atlanta Chefs do you see get bad reviews? Things that make you go ….hhhhmmmmmm!!

By: yougottabekiddingme

yougottabekiddingme — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:54:06 +0000

Are you serious? The world is falling in and you’re igniting a fire over a dining critic using locals for her wedding? Whoa..how brazen. You pathetic twit. Your life must be peachy if this is at the top of your outrage list. On a journalists salary, she’s supposed to go out of town to wed? Was she supposed to cook her own frickin food? The fact that she didn’t keep it a secret outweighs any ethical question. You haters are pathetic. It’s just food for Christ’s sake … CL, look in the mirror, you’re not all scrubbed clean in ethics territory…you know exactly what I mean, too.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:40:09 +0000

This makes me sad. As a freelance food writer myself, I can say that there are hundreds of us who would kill to have a full-time food writing gig at a magazine or a newspaper. Newspapers are dying, and food sections and jobs are being cut, so it’s been tough to even find freelance work. This is a blatant conflict of interest. She abused her job, and to me that says she’s not only selfish, but is also not appreciative of her job as a journalist. A journalist’s job is to serve the public with information, not to serve themselves.

By: sansho1

sansho1 — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 02:53:26 +0000

Whoever said that battles in academia are so vicious because the stakes are so low must never have witnessed a food criticism war.

FWIW, I’ve had some excellent meals at Shaun’s, although I don’t get the fuss over the flatbread. I’ve had better.

By: MUMDIFFICULT

MUMDIFFICULT — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:12:01 +0000

she raves about Shaun’s EVERY week. no one is imagineing this. Shaun’s is mentioned in a positive light every week in the AJC. The sad thing is – it doesn’t translate to numbers. at shaun’s you are kinda busy on fri, sat-packed, and sun brunch is busy. the food at shaun’s is really good, but please look at her recent review of Dogwood, she can’t help but raving about doty’s “sexy” food. Meridith Ford is a fraud. she should be run out of town and sent back to RI, to write reviews of chain restaurants in the providense banner harold or whatever it’s called!!!!

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:02:35 +0000

Would this be such a big ethical breach if the CL staffer also got the special treatment he wanted at Serenbe?

If I remember correctly, Besha didn’t exactly offer full disclosure when her husband’s restaurant came up either. She didn’t lie, but it wasn’t exactly handled in an above board manner. As I reader, I felt icky when I saw her explanation AFTER THE FACT. And Bostock is more than just a freelance writer.

It’s a sticky situation. But all the journalist can do is ask for fair treatment and pay a fair amount. Are you suggesting that Meridith should have said, “no, you’re not charging me enough” and then haggle for a higher price? Puh-leeze.

Her subsequent column wasn’t a Doty rave, but news of a personnel change.

Leave it alone. CL has more things to worry about.

Really!

By: MUMDIFFICULT

MUMDIFFICULT — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:58:50 +0000

- funny story, when i worked at shaun’s, the last time i saw MFG in Shaun’s, she was there really late. after several bottles of wine. her, shaun and some of the staff were on the lovely patio and she informed him what he “could” have done to get the fifth star (she gave him 4″). she can’t hold her liquior, and she is a fraud. maybe it’s time for ms. ford to go away.

By: How much

How much — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:03:49 +0000

The question is, how mch did she pay for it, and how much would the average person had to pay for the same catering?

It’s an incredible lack of ethics by Meridith Ford Goldman. A real newspaper would fire her for this.

By: really?Seriously?

really?Seriously? — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:52:30 +0000

So I have something to add as well. St. Hilaire DID IN FACT donate his services and the cake, this is coming directly from a member of his staff, myself. All of us in our bakeshop discussed in depth how this was a conflict of interest and found it to be totally uncalled for.

To bad.

By: loafingrules

loafingrules — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:18:51 +0000

How about freedom of press f*ck-o… people are expressing opinions, and concerns… the same is being done on the pages of Access Atlanta – are you trying to put those fires out too? Im thinking the pompous one might be yourself… stick to NPR and get the F*ck over yourself.