Looks like that Irish News restaurant review story is hurtling around the world, but someone’s currency calculator is a little faulty… Remember, you probably heard it here first… H/T to willis…
Also Guy Marshall; and Tim Worstall also have the story.
How has Ulster unionism arrived at where it is today – fractured and uncertain, yet dominated electorally by the DUP, a party that tells us it offers unionists sure footing in uncertain times? In his latest book, Ulster’s Last Stand? Reconstructing Unionism after the Peace Process (Irish Academic Press, 2010), Prof. James McAuley from the [...] read our review »
A moment of some significance in journalism perhaps, as the New York Times reviews the current talked about book, The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan by Bing West. The author is no bleeding heart but a former assistant Defense Secretary from the Reagan era who stomped his way round the Afghan [...] read our review »
As part of NICVA’s series of masterclasses from its Centre for Economic Empowerment project, there was a morning seminar on the topic of the “creative class” (as popularised by Richard Florida) and its applicability to Northern Ireland. The agenda was to: Explain Richard Florida’s idea of the “creative class” and the link between economic outcomes [...] read our review »
Thank goodness the Irish News has the balls for this. A lot of others would just pay up and tell their journalists to behave.
Are we now going to see publishers suing reviewers of their books, theatres suing critics?
Whatever of the quality of the food, wine, service and general ambience surely the Irish News was able to award the restuarant top star rating for the originality of its name.
How on earth did they ever come up with it? Inspirational genius.
I would be keen to actually read what was written in the review for myself (sources, anyone?). Does this ruling not set a bad precedent?
I would be more convinced of the paper’s ‘balls’ if it hadn’t removed the review from their archives.
Maybe they couldn’t handle two public humiliations in the same week and have decided to wait a little before issuing the grovelling apology on this one?
As it stands they are guilty of ‘defamation, damaging and hurtful conduct’ regardless of the hand wringing from others. Something despite their pretence of ‘balls’ they aren’t ballsy enough to actually stand over and repeat.
When they deleted it they as good as admitted they were in the wrong.
If you live by the sword you die by the sword.
Providing there is no hint of the journo having an axe to grind i think the restaurant should go for a re-brand, a new chef and a fancy new (lunch)launch.
If a place has a reputation for good grub at a reasonable price amongst its locals then it shouldn’t really worry about a snooty review?
Goodfellas is in fact crap. Very average food, below average service and decidely dodgy surroundings. The place always looks ‘boggin’.
The judge should have had his dinner there before ruling on this one.
Rory
assuming you’re not being sarcastic (hard to tell), there was a mafia movie a few years back by that name.
Out of curiosity, I googled it and there are loads of restaurants world wide with the same name.
“Goodfellas is in fact crap. Very average food, below average service and decidely dodgy surroundings. The place always looks ‘boggin’”
concur 100%. had the misfortune to eat there one time and was rushed in and out within the hour. cheap and not so cheerful.
I have indeed heard in the past that said restaurant is piss poor. Now this thread contains a whole string of references to the low standard in the self same restaurant. Are they spurious? Is this any the worse than the Irish News? Is it any the worse than the Belfast Telegraph naming loads of restaurants as having poor hygiene which is to my mind worse than one subjective restaurant review which may in fact be entirely accurate at the end of the day!
Just a thought.
Question is should the culture of media criticism be applied to all regardless? Should the drama critic of the Guardian be applying the same rigorous attention to some community play as he does to something in the West End? Should Goodfellas (‘cheap local eatery’ apparently) be put under the same light as Gordon Ramsay? If the answer is yes then the journalist’s credentials- experience,insight etc must be considered. If you’re running a ‘cheap local eatery’ and some mediocre,semi-literate hack, who was covering the dog racing the day before and the farm prices the day before that, takes a pop at you, you might be forgiven for thinking, ‘Who the f*ck does this person think they are?’ Freedom of expression aside there are subtle, unwritten, unspoken guidelines about the calibre of ammunition that should be used when sticking it up somebody in print. My experience is that local Belfast journalism/feature writing especially is second rate, banale and ill-considered.The local media know this but should remember it with due humility when rubbing peoples’ noses in sh*te.
I think Damian Convery should forget the cash but should be given the opportunity to review a week’s worth of Irish News – in the Irish News- perhaps a front page or a centre spread, wherein he can point out all the stupid, badly-written, unimaginative,crass, dunder-headed, gormless, thoughtless, unimaginative bollocks that passes for Belfast local journalism.
But having written all this, it is a daft decision and should of course be overturned on appeal.
Yes, Joe, I was being mildly sardonic. Since the movie came out (great movie btw) every second product or outlet associated with Italian food has been calling itself “Goodfellas”. I am sure you have spotted a pizza brand of the same name nouldering in the freezer box of your local Kwiki Mart.
My feeling is that anyone going into a restuarant with such a daft name should be “wise guy” enough to know that they will more than likely be so pissed off at the end of the night that writing a poor review would be done only in sublimation of the desire to “torch the joint”.
I would be more convinced of the paper’s ‘balls’ if it hadn’t removed the review from their archives.
Probably not a good idea; it’s probably better to give the impression that you’re abiding by the courts, especially if there is to be an appeal.
However, if the appeal goes ahead and the Irish News win, I look forward to the prominent re-publication of the review.