#BusiestTimeofTheYear
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Rant, just ignore. (Not related to the above)
Now we live in an exciting, dynamic time. Doing away with print media that's struggling we all know this thing called the web which has a much broader appeal. This is where professional journalists, full fledged bloggers & even amateur gastrogrammers like me are embracing as an effective, informal format to reach hungry readers or sometimes simply share our experiences.
The sole foundation in all this is probably trust. We all know that it's impossible to experience 100% perfection all the time, but it's really not fair to rate down a place we only tried once. It's also not always wise to revisit a horrible place a 2nd time. Therefore in situations like this, one can choose not to review at all or well, review it anyway - the 1st impression (& let people know that too). Constructive feedback elevates the discourse about good food & that's pretty important to me, don't you think? But when you know of some illogical system that chooses to control your freedom of speech, that's where it gets messy.
Though I may not be directly involved, this issue is something I genuinely care much about. I've never felt so disappointed & enraged to know that the system has far more cares about monetary values than the people's choices & welfare - when it's a system that should always be wearing two hats. Because if you know that readers are going to rely on the reviews they find on the web - spend time, money & effort on something reviewed, there's nothing more important than trust. No matter who the writer is, that there'll always be that intangible form of long term accountability. Requesting them to write all things sweet & nice when they're not would be the direct break to everything supposed to be done right. In the ethical viewpoint, that same trust that should be built up with honesty wouldn't exist.
So what a shame really. I wouldn't say more, but 😞