Taiwan Blogger fined $7k over Negative Noodle Review. Eff

After visiting a Taichung beef noodle restaurant in July 2008, Liu wrote in her article that the noodle she ate 'was too salty' and 'the place was unsanitary because there were cockroaches' and that the owner was a “bully” because he let customers park their cars haphazardly.


These remarks led to her demise as she was sentenced to 30-days in jail and a fine worth $6665. The judge ruled out that she shouldn't have made the conclusion that the noodle was too salty because she only had one dish on her only visit.


"Huang Cheng-lee (黃呈利), a lawyer in Taichung, said that bloggers who post food reviews should remember to be truthful in their commentary and supplement their comments with photographs to protect themselves."

Photo courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/paintingsky/

This may provide all bloggers a lesson to be careful and objective in all their reviews, but this incident also pose a certain risk towards the blogger community. I am afraid that this is the start of the forthcoming intimidation and the increasing hostility towards the blogging community.


Restaurants and food entrepreneurs must not fear nor intimidate bloggers or journalists. I don't think a single review will ultimately affect the entire business in the long run.


Via http://www.boingboing.net/2011/06/23/taiwan-blogger-fined.html