I want to write a negative article on the fast food industry. Would naming names

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   MBurgessposted 7 years ago

   I want to write a negative article on the fast food industry. Would naming names be out of line?
   
   I know that this food is not good for you, but because of the work I do I sometimes rely on it for my meals. I want to relate certain experiences I have had over the course of the past few years. I have systematically eliminated certain franchises from my choices and the options are getting smaller all the time. Contacting corporate offices do not seem to make a difference so I thought I'd write about it and the affect their mistakes have on my time and my opinion of them.

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   tsmogposted 7 years ago

   Naming names is a big question. Do you mean the name of the business, product, or people? Other than that I suspect any negative reviews are subject to legal questions. There are things like defamation, slander, and libel to consider. I am no expert, so take everything I am saying with a grain of salt.

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      MBurgessposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I would be using the restaurant name as I relate certain experiences I've had in their locations. I would also like to do a poll collecting other's similar situations. The piece is to criticize customer relations.

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   tamarawilhiteposted 7 years ago

   Naming names is not bad as long as:
   A. what you say is true facts, not hearsay or unsubstantiated
   B. when you call them out on something, it is actually their fault and not a supplier or local owner
   C. naming people by name can become slander while naming a business and location with titles is less likely to cause issues while still making the point

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      MBurgessposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I would not be people specifically it would be certain big name fast food outlets. Calling corporate offices doesn't do any good and I'd like to share my experiences with these types of situations.

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   dashingscorpioposted 7 years ago

   
   
   I believe your goal should be to write an "unbiased truthful" article.
   Whenever someone sets out to write a "negative" or even positive article they are likely to overlook anything that does not jell with their narrative. Illustrating both sides gives you the writer more credibility.
   For instance let's say you mentioned McDonalds but failed to state they offer a variety of salad choices, wraps, unsweetened tea, and they openly post the number of calories for sandwiches as well as combos allowing for their customers to make informed decisions.
   Essentially you would not have given your readers the full story.
   Last but not least you have to recognize that people eat whatever and wherever they want to eat but you might offer them so recommended choices/possible solutions to consider.
   You have to decide if the purpose of your article to help your readers or simply to slam the fast food industry.
   Are health food suppliers to blame in anyway?
   For example it would be interesting to see if fast food is so popular because "healthy food choices" are too expensive.
   An example might be organic tomatoes at $2.60 per lb versus a foot long hotdog and soda with (free refills) at Costco is $1.50.
   If you had $3 dollars in your wallet which would you buy and why?
   Are healthy food choices overpriced???

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      dashingscorpioposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I just saw one of your comments stating your focus will be on customer service rather than the actual food.
      Customer service is very subjective because it depends on who serves you that determines your experience.
      Some of them hate their job!

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      MBurgessposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, my article would highlight customer service not the food content. This week alone I visited three different restaurants and everyone of them screwed up my order. It is infuriating!

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