DonRocks Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 WUSA9.com, in particular Russ Ptacek, is drawing attention to restaurants closed for health code violations. Ugh, I can remember exactly what I've eaten at these places, too. The reporter seems like pretty much of a bulldog in terms of investigative journalism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Delicious Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 The WaPo runs similar announcements in the weekly Thursday local section. For some bizarre reason it's my absolute favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandynva Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 i'm addicted to reading them too! however, most of the ones in the post seem to be in va and md, which i find odd. perhaps the DC inspectors aren't as active, or the information from dc is harder to get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) I'll let everyone voice their own opinions, but here's mine: Bravo, Mia, for standing up to this reporter. I don't give you "props" for coming out and apologizing; I give you props for not hauling off and slugging these people when you found out you were being filmed without your knowledge. I don't care if it's "legal" or not; you were lured into a public space, and then secretly filmed for private profit. The restraint you showed is commendable. In no way should you be embarrassed about this. If I ever abuse what little power I have to *this* degree, I want to be called out for it, loudly and publicly. It wasn't the "content" of the piece; it was the smugness behind it, and *you* were made the centerpiece of the story despite having an absolutely clean restaurant - you were portrayed side-by-side with some truly filthy establishments. Sometimes, when you're in an older building, surrounded by neighbors, you can no more keep out mice or insects than you can rain in the basement. And I'll be darned if I want to dine at a restaurant that's spraying pesticides all over the place. If anyone wants to make the argument that this person is performing a "public service," I'll counter by saying that Ballinger, and her having been taken off-guard, was used as the headline for this piece, literally: "Chef Shoves Camera Covering Health Violations in Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring And The District." The first *eleven* paragraphs of the piece were about you. Public service, my eye. Getting caught on camera being pissed off at overly aggressive reporters isn't a "public service"; it's sensationalism in order for the reporters to earn a buck, and nothing more than that. Judge for yourselves. Tonight, I'm raising a glass to Mia Ballinger. And sometime in the very near future, I'm going to Mia's Pizzas and giving them my business. --- Over 24 hours later, the total number of comments on WUSA9's website? Zero. So much for generating controversy. I understand that Mr. Ptacek might have his heart in the right place, but if so, then he's going about it in the wrong way. Edited November 3, 2012 by DonRocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 November sweeps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtureck Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 It wasn't the "content" of the piece; it was the smugness behind it, and *you* were made the centerpiece of the story despite having an absolutely clean restaurant - you were portrayed side-by-side with some truly filthy establishments. "Live roaches on the counter and on a cutting board during food prep" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 "Live roaches on the counter and on a cutting board during food prep" The violations had been addressed, and the restaurant was absolutely clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtureck Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 It's easy to get a good grade when you know the question in advance...I think the grade on the pop quiz is far more telling. We're not talking about some mouse droppings behind the fridge. You may feel that live roaches on the counter and cutting board DURING FOOD PREP (my emphasis) isn't a big deal, but that's pretty darn icky to me, and I'm not the squeamish type. I have no problem with you disliking the report or the reporter...I could go into an in-depth analysis of what's good and bad about his pieces...but making Mia seem like a completely innocent victim here is letting her off the hook far too easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 It's easy to get a good grade when you know the question in advance...I think the grade on the pop quiz is far more telling. This interview was a pop quiz. If you think roaches in restaurants are disgusting, you may not want to go out much because I've got some bad news for you. Off the top of your head, can you name all five restaurants in the report? Neither can I. Three days later, still zero comments on the website. I'm tempted to delete this entire thread (and if Mia's asks me to, I will) because it's shining an excessively bright light on the situation, and giving this unbalanced piece more attention than it deserves. The list of restaurants in violation is a public service. The article about the list is self-service. This is not investigative journalism; this is ambulance chasing. I'm a little surprised no restaurants have chimed in, but I suspect they're afraid they'll be targeted if they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtureck Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I would imagine that most, if not all, restaurants have some sort of mouse/roach issue. Yet a vast majority aren't bad enough to get shut down after a health inspection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 I don't have anything more to add, so I'll let you have the last word, unless someone from Mia's or another restaurant wishes to chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 I guess being an investigative reporter involves a generalized skill set. ---> :-/ @EricZiebold hey, I've got an out of town guest that wants a special vegetarian dish. Tried to book CityZen. Boo. Still have great veggies? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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