Critics' Manifestos
Zahary Jones' Manifesto
When going through my first experiences as a critic, the level of thought and creativity that goes into it was shocking. It is something that you would think is easy, but can be quite difficult at times. You have to bring a communicative tone, and be interesting and funny all while still doing some reporting. Journalists are often referred to as the watchdogs of society. I think the same can be said for Critics but in more of a subcategory of entertainment, food and many other things. The work of a critic plays a huge role in other peoples decision making. If they want to go see a movie, go get food, or even buy a product, they look at reviews. Critics have a high power of influencing people’s decision on these types of matters. Therefore, a critic should always be fair. There should be no bias brought into a review and if that comes too difficult for you, then you should not be reviewing it. At the same time, you cannot be afraid to speak the truth. If you hated something do not sugar coat your opinion. Eventually, you will have readers that will share similar opinions and you do not want to lead those readers in the wrong direction due to inability to speak the truth. These are the approaches I have tried to maintain during my experience as a critic. Getting experience as a critic will also make you take a more in-depth look at arts in culture. For example, a trip to the movie for a normal civilian compared to a critic is a wildly different scenario. The critic must do research before and after, take notes, be more engaged and be in the right mindset. Overall, critics must be able to look at things deeper in detail than normal people. They need to do this all while having no bias and being fair in order to continue to be a great reference point for peoples decisions in arts and culture.
Samantha Ward's Manifesto
Critics start conversations. Their articles, videos or podcasts take the parts of culture many consume on a surface level and dive deeper. Critics don’t just state whether something is good or not but also why they think so, the context it has within a larger scene and aspects consumers weren’t even aware affected their experiences.
Our culture is filled with a multitude of art, books, films and so many other things vying for our attention. Critics cut through the noise and serve as a starting point for an audience who doesn’t want to waste their limited time and resources on things that aren’t worth it. Jump off from that starting point to engage with these reviews, and a reader will slowly find themselves better understanding the media they consume and refining their own personal taste. The audience moves beyond settling for what gets the most advertising or seems the most appealing on a surface level. They have richer, more engaging experiences.
Critics engage in the tedious work of deconstructing what’s being reviewed in order to hold the field to a higher standard. They encourage innovation and growth for creators, countering capitalistic concepts of pursuing profit at all costs rather than inherently quality work. Culture shapes our world just as much as politics or economics do, and critics treat the things they review with that level of respect and thoughtfulness.
Before taking this course, I’ll admit I rarely looked at reviews for anything I consumed. I figured my taste was unique enough that no one other person could perfectly match it, but that’s not the point. I’ve learned critics add a layer to the experience I didn’t realize I was missing out on. Engaging with critics’ works more often helped me to take a closer look at the cultural works I gave my time and resources to consume, and I’m better off for it.
Maddie Minton's Manifesto
The role of the critic is to inform. Review writing is probably the only area in journalism where it is encouraged to have a bias. In fact, your bias makes you reliable. A lot of work goes into writing reviews; it’s not solely about an opinion. Reviews require background information, research, interviews and total knowledge in order to be taken seriously. The role of the critic is also to tell the truth. If a critic does not tell the truth their whole career could be at stake. Of course, people have varying opinions around a wide array of topics but if a critic were to compromise their integrity to please an audience, they wouldn’t be a reliable critic. Finally, the role of the critic is to be conversational and be themselves. There is nothing worse than a boring review. People want to know the opinion but it’s crucial to also be entertained throughout. There are so many unique and creative ways one could write a review. It could be in the form of a letter, a video - really anything. As long as there is personality, there will be followers. The conversational and personal aspect of reviews is what makes readers continuously come back to a specific person. If they know a reviewer has similar interests and opinions as themselves, they are more likely to follow that reviewer. I believe this is how people get more popular and what turns a hobby into a livelihood.
Stanley Miller's Manifesto
The role of the critic is to be a trusted voice for readers. In order to do so, critics should
make sure their reviews are clear and can be easily interpreted by readers. Critics
should also understand the background of what they are reviewing. This is important
because this allows critics to write more detailed and impactful reviews. By doing so
critics will also foster credibility from readers.
Proper research and community involvement also allow critics to develop an understanding and
therefore establish trust from the readers. This trust influences readers to take or not take a
chance on the product being sold and pay attention to reviews written by the critic. As mentioned
in the “There is Room for Everyone” video this is why diversity amongst critics is important.
Having a variety of voices allows more readers to relate to critics. Therefore, readers will feel
more comfortable adhering to any recommendations in their reviews.
Professor Boyd taught me that critics should make sure they always meet the five
elements of a review such as a strong opening. I believe this is one of the most
important parts of the review. A strong opening draws the reader in and relay whether
they should continue reading the review. For this reason, I have always sought to
include comedic lines in the opening of my reviews. I have also tried to use metaphors
and play on words for my headline. Being this is usually the first thing readers see,
readers determine the tone of the article from the headline. I also pay attention to
grammar, especially the use of commas etc. As our last guest speaker said, this is what
editors pay attention to when freelance writers seek to have their work published. She
mentioned that it is disappointing that she receives so many reviews with grammatical
errors from aspiring critics.
Overall, I pay closer attention to details when observing arts and culture because of this
class. I am more interested in the backgrounds of how products came about. For
example, it intrigues what influences directors and writers to come up with scripts. I
believe this will allow me to write more effective reviews.
Jenn Williams' Manifesto
Critics try the steak and gravy at hole-in-the-wall diners, and they visit Michelin star restaurants to review lobster and prime rib. They are the first to see a new action movie, drama or romantic comedy. They read memoirs and fiction, and they attend concerts and plays.
While critics have the ability to highlight works of art, one of their unique powers is omission. Critics can omit items on menus, aspects of shows or details of plots. Most importantly, critics can omit context.
As a critic, it’s important for me to value context, whether it’s the cultural significance of a dish or the background of an author. To understand a work, I must first understand the elements surrounding it. Respecting context means investing time and energy into researching the works I review. Context is a responsibility in and of itself, but it’s not the only responsibility a critic holds.
Critics have the responsibility to review works for what they are, not what they’d like for them to be. Critics have the responsibility to be inclusive, not exclusive. Critics have the responsibility to consider how works relate to diversity—race, gender, ethnicity, age, ability and sexual orientation. And with all of these responsibilities in mind, critics must be honest.