Another Sloppy Verbjob

By on January 4, 2013 in Film, Food, Media, Uncategorized

From “The Puzzling Goat: “Regina’s beloved bovid bistro is, well, I’m not sure”  in the Dec. 27 Prairie Dog: 

The steak was overcooked and not particularly tasty, the mashed potatoes were plentiful but bland, and the wild mushroom mix was disconcertingly citrusy and sharp. Maybe some people like acidic mushrooms but it seemed like a wildly misjudged combination.

From “Not Kidding Around: Serious foodie eats and savoury Caesars at Fainting Goat” in the Dec. 21 Verb:

“I started with the beautifully presented cedar planked fire prawns. The fat, juicy white prawns were served shell-on and butterflied on a charred and still-smoking cedar plank. This visually stimulating appetizer was seasoned with herbes de Provence, a fragrant blend that typically includes basil, thyme and maybe just a hint of lavender.”

Okay then.

So I’d chalk this up to an honest  difference of experience — our critic, Aidan Morgan, did say the Goat is inconsistent and he intends to return in a few months to see what’s up – but Verb reviews are always positive. Always. One might, therefore, be tempted to suggest that Verb’s writers ply their trade for their advertisers and potential advertisers, not for their readers.

Their restaurant column in particular is consistently written like an advertorial. Which would be fine, if it WAS a clearly-marked, paid advertorial. It wasn’t (clearly marked, anyway), which means Verb’s restaurant writers are spin doctors.

Sorry, I’m repeating myself. Long-time Dog Blog readers already know I am not a fan of advertorials posing as articles.

Another Verb gripe: I’m still wondering how Verb managed to get a review of The Hobbit, which opened on Thursday, Dec. 13, into a paper that was distributed Friday, Dec. 14. There were no advance  screenings in Saskatchewan. In fact, even the advance screening in major market Vancouver- - which our accredited critic attended – was last-minute: Wednesday, Dec. 12.

Verb’s critic is based in Saskatoon. The paper wouldn’t publish movie reviews written by someone who hadn’t seen the movie, would they?

About Stephen Whitworth

Stephen Whitworth is a life-long fan of newspapers and alternative media who got his start in the student press a hundred years ago. He moved to Regina in the fall of 1998 and Prairie Dog recklessly hired him nine months later. It was a terrible mistake and the publication deeply regrets its inability to get rid of him. When Whitworth’s not adding typos to the hard work of Prairie Dog’s many terrific writers, writing hilarious (to him) headlines and finding inventive new ways to make the paper late for its bi-weekly press deadline, he enjoys reading magazines, newspapers and alternative comics, listening to music, playing board games, and drinking and eating. He has a cat and seven six pet snakes (R.I.P., Fred).
View all posts by Stephen Whitworth →

12 Responses to Another Sloppy Verbjob

  1. Aidan January 4, 2013 at 12:01 pm #

    In fairness to Verb, I didn’t have the cedar planked fire prawns at The Goat. Maybe that dish would have turned my experience around.

    But probably not. And that prose is as butterflied as the dish it describes.

  2. Moon Daddy January 4, 2013 at 1:57 pm #

    Anyone have a link to The Verb’s The Hobbit review?

  3. Stephen Whitworth January 4, 2013 at 2:16 pm #

    Nope. I couldn’t find any archives on Verb’s website. Maybe I just missed it?

  4. Rusty January 4, 2013 at 3:48 pm #

    You mean there are articles about stuff other than how cool a new stadium is going to be or how terrible Canadian TV is in the VERB.
    Wow I mainly use it for kitty litter liner .

  5. Paul Dechene January 4, 2013 at 3:54 pm #

    Hang on a second… “foodie” as an adjective and “butterfly” as a verb? I should be taking notes.

  6. Stephen Whitworth January 4, 2013 at 4:16 pm #

    To be fair, I edit prairie dog and I literally use it as litter liner. I consider it a noble way to recycle our hard work and I encourage this use of our paper.

  7. Barb Saylor January 4, 2013 at 4:25 pm #

    @6: You heard it here first, folks!!

  8. agent w January 4, 2013 at 4:54 pm #

    @6: good to know there’s some use for all the leftover copies.

    @5: imagine Fashion TV in print and you’d about have it.

  9. Stephen Whitworth January 4, 2013 at 6:41 pm #

    @Barb: it’s true! And I’d say the same thing even if I was sober.

  10. Ron January 5, 2013 at 1:13 am #

    I like crossword puzzles.

  11. Barb Saylor January 5, 2013 at 8:30 am #

    Me too, Ron, but they have to be tougher ones like the NY Times variety. By the way, this year is the 100th anniversary of the crossword puzzle; I know what I’ll be doing to celebrate.

  12. Collette January 7, 2013 at 9:46 am #

    I’ve found the issue online: http://issuu.com/verb/docs/r58?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222

    (I just changed the issue number from r59 to r58 in the address.)

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