Can we have an honest opinion in the lifestyle section anymore?
With Lifestyle journalism covering topics from Beauty and Fashion to interior design and relationships, this opens the genre to a specific type of writing: the review.
People want to know the best new lipstick, if the newest dating app is all it is hyped up to be and wether spending their money on the latest garden furniture will make their summer BBQ the best in this years heatwave. Yet, most of all, people want an honest opinion they can trust before parting with their hard earned cash.
This has lead to the lifestyle section developing into a review crazed land where opinions are everything and everyone values the important five stars.
But, is there a ramifications to an honest review? As every product, brand and company is looking for the 5 star rating and public stamp of approval, does this effect a journalists writing? Furthermore, does an honest review face backfire if it is not liked by the company?
Yesterday, the Guardian released an article “Taste test: the best and worst vegan lunches on the high street”, reviewing all the vegan lunches available on the UK high street in honour of Veganuary. The writer, Mina Holland, goes through popular high street lunch venues, eg. Pret a Manger, Wasabi, Leon’s and many more to give the readers an insight into the best places to go during their Vegan challenge.
During the reviews, Mina makes a visit to EAT, a popular lunch stop for “healthy and wholesome seasonal dishes”, according to their website. However, Holland did not find the dish to be “wholesome” as she described the Vegan Mediterranean Orzo she taste-tested as “bland”, “far too sugary” and “outdated”. She continued to give the meal a 1/5 review, the lowest score given in the article. This honest review could open Mina and the Guardian up to Libel, as it is a printed negative statement that could discourage people from going to EAT.
However, the Guardian and Mina have the ‘honest opinion’ defence in their favour. Mina was printing her honest opinion, as a published food author and the editor of Guardian Cooks, she is experienced in the field and has built up a trust with her readers which she has to uphold for her reputation.
Mina took her own pictures of the food, showing that she has gone out and purchased the items herself, reinforcing the honesty defence. Also, this move covers her from copyright as artistic work, because if she used images owned by EAT they might attempt to have the article removed.
Overall, you can see that Mina did all that she could to protect her opinions. As a writer in the lifestyle section, this is essential to be legally covered when it comes to publishing negative opinions on products, businesses and people because there will be someone who disagrees with you — mainly the person or business you are writing about. If you protect yourself before publishing, you can rest easier when the article goes live.
So, YES! We can have honest opinions in the lifestyle section — as long as we are honest. I think Mina has written a great piece for the Guardian. It is witty, informative and makes be want to go out to try the newest vegan dishes to hit the high street. Great addition to the lifestyle section!
