Alan Richman

What constitutes an ethical relationship between publicists and journalists? How do “freebies” influence food and restaurant media coverage? The French Culinary Institute and the James Beard Foundation (JBF) collaborated to explore these issues and more in “A Freewheeling Look at Freebies: Temptations and Balance” at The FCI on Friday, April 29th.

Held in conjunction with the presentation of the JBF Journalism Awards, this morning seminar attracted over 30 food journalists, publicists, culinary industry professionals, as well as journalism students.

While The FCI’s year-old food journalism program presented a seminar last year on critics and restaurateurs, this was the first seminar on ethics for school—or anyone else, as far as Alan Richman, Dean of Food Journalism Studies is aware. “As far as I know, this is the first one that anybody’s done, period. It’s like the weather. People talk ethics a lot but no one tries to do anything about it. This was an attempt to do something about it.”

Richman, who is also a member of The James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant Committee, gives credit for the event to Joe Crea, Food and Restaurants Editor for The Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Chairman of both The James Beard Foundation Awards Board of Governors and Journalism Awards Committee. “Joe Crea was really the organizer. He did most of the work. I was a contributor.”

Together Richman and Crea moderated two panels—one comprised of food journalists and editors, and one comprised of publicists. Food journalists and editors included Michael Bauer, Executive Food and Wine Editor and Restaurant Critic for the San Francisco Chronicle; Peggy Katalinich, Food Editor, Family Circle Magazine; Kathleen Purvis, Food Editor for the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer and Laura Shapiro, Newsweek. Publicists included Philip Baltz; Baltz & Co, Principal; Robin Insley, Senior Vice president for Consumer Marketing Fleishman-Hillard; and Joan Luther, Founder and President, Joan Luther & Associates.

The panels were followed by a three-course lunch at L’Ecole, with the keynote address delivered by “The Ethicist,” syndicated columnist Randy Cohen. “Having Randy Cohen was like having Mick Jagger show up to sing to you privately,” gushes Richman. “He’s actually one of my heroes because he’s brilliant and he’s practically the only guy left who still talks about ethics. He has an answer—and a very intelligent and thoughtful one—for every situation.”

That evening, the recipients of the James Beard Foundation’s 2005 Journalism Awards were announced at a dinner at Manhattan’s Grand Hyatt. Richman, who brought home his record setting twelfth Beard Award that evening, confides, “they bring in really excellent chefs that anyone up for an award is too nauseous to enjoy.”

Richman feels promise about future seminars and their impact on the future of journalism. “I hope we’ll continue to do these seminars in conjunction with the Beard Foundation’s big awards weekend…anything that makes journalism more legitimate and make people realize that it still exists.”