My OperaBefore Putting Foot in Mouth, Have Both Feet Well Planted
Friday, November 19, 2010 9:49:31 PM
Interest in writing started to burgeon when I was in junior high school. (That should date me, but just in case that was 1956). Much of what I wrote during the next six years was trash, but helped me on the road to learning the craft. Upon graduating from HS I landed a job as a reporter for a metropolitan newspaper. I consider myself fortunate during those formative years to have had some very good teachers, editors, and the sense to listen to what they had to say.
One of the things that bugged me then, and bugs me now, are reviewers, whatever medium they profess to be an expert in. In one market, (some years later) a sophomore in HS began writing movie reviews that caught the editor's eye. They were pretty good, but there was a problem - the Internet was beginning to blossom and I was a prolific user of this new-fangled device. Having just read a negative review posted by this individual, I wanted to see what other reviewers had to say because, frankly, the movie hadn't hit town, yet, and I was curious how he previewed it. Yes, it had opened in a neighboring community fifty miles away, but this reviewer was covering a school sporting even in the opposite direction. What I found was that this kid was copying, or rather paraphrasing, from other reviewers. He hadn't even seen the movie.
Today, I read a local review of the currently released Harry Potter and some red lights starting flashing in the back of my mind. I honestly don't know if the reviewer saw the movie or not. That the article appeared in a section traditionally printed earlier in the week (well before release of the film) has given me pause. Unless this person has taken classes or worked in the industry or done an awful lot of reading, comments about technical aspects are questionable. That he openly admits to having not read any of the Potter books, yet feels authoritative about commenting on them - well, you can see why I have questions.
A person who wishes to set their feet on the platform of reviewing another's work had better well have a wide stance and firm foundation.
One of the things that bugged me then, and bugs me now, are reviewers, whatever medium they profess to be an expert in. In one market, (some years later) a sophomore in HS began writing movie reviews that caught the editor's eye. They were pretty good, but there was a problem - the Internet was beginning to blossom and I was a prolific user of this new-fangled device. Having just read a negative review posted by this individual, I wanted to see what other reviewers had to say because, frankly, the movie hadn't hit town, yet, and I was curious how he previewed it. Yes, it had opened in a neighboring community fifty miles away, but this reviewer was covering a school sporting even in the opposite direction. What I found was that this kid was copying, or rather paraphrasing, from other reviewers. He hadn't even seen the movie.
Today, I read a local review of the currently released Harry Potter and some red lights starting flashing in the back of my mind. I honestly don't know if the reviewer saw the movie or not. That the article appeared in a section traditionally printed earlier in the week (well before release of the film) has given me pause. Unless this person has taken classes or worked in the industry or done an awful lot of reading, comments about technical aspects are questionable. That he openly admits to having not read any of the Potter books, yet feels authoritative about commenting on them - well, you can see why I have questions.
A person who wishes to set their feet on the platform of reviewing another's work had better well have a wide stance and firm foundation.
