Association of Food Journalists

The Association of Food Journalists (AFJ) was a US-based professional organization that operated from the early 1970s through 2020.^[1][2] It was created to promote high standards for journalists reporting and writing on food, the food industry, restaurants, cookbooks and related fields.^[2][3][4]

Background

The AFJ was founded by Milwaukee Journal food editor Peggy Daum in response to blistering statements by U.S. Senator Frank Moss who, in an address at a food writers' conference in 1971, harshly accused food journalists, mainly women, of being strongly influenced by PR agencies and lobbyists for the food industry -- as well as their publications' advertising departments -- by accepting gifts, free travel and lodging, and other favors.^[2] Kimberly Wilmot Voss, a scholar of women's pages, where at the time most newspaper food writing appeared, points out that at the time, women were excluded from most major US professional journalism organizations.^[2]

Known for his consumer advocacy positions, Moss asked them, "Ladies, are you the pawns of your advertising managers -- or are you journalists?"^[5][6] The conference at which Moss spoke was the Newspaper Food Editors' Conference, which since 1943 had been hosted by The Newspaper Advertising Sales Associates with funding from major commercial food producers and lobbying organizations such as the American Meat Institute.^[2] Historically the weeklong conferences included product promotion.^[2]

Shortly after the conference, the Columbia Journalism Review published what Voss called a "scathing critique" of newspaper food sections, which further motivated women food journalists.^[2] At the time, many US newspapers still included advertising in their food sections.^[2]

Founding

A group of women gathered in Daum's conference hotel room the evening after Moss's speech and started planning a professional association for food writers.^[2] By 1974, it was up and running with 97 members.^[2] Daum became its first president, with Marian Burros of the Washington Star, later of The New York Times,^{[7][better source needed]} as vice president.^[2]

Work

The association gave awards for the best writing in various media categories^[8] and held conferences for its members.^[1] Notable recipients of AFJ awards include Jackie Summers,^[9][10] David Leite,^[11] Ted Genoways,^[12][13][14] Russ Parsons^[15] and Mikki Kendall.^[16]

Central to the AFJ's purpose was its code of ethics intended to "protect its members’ integrity and preserve their credibility."^[17] The code laid out guidelines for its members to follow to insure the journalistic standards of objectivity in their reporting and writing, free from outside influence.^[18] The AFJ guidelines for restaurant reviewers included waiting at least a month before visiting a newly opened restaurant and to experience the restaurant meals "as anonymous as possible" -- considered standard practices today.^[19]

Dissolution

The association was dissolved in 2020 due to lack of funds; the organization's business model depended on print journalism organizations providing indirect financial support via paying their staffers' membership dues, their expenses for attending conferences, and their entry fees for awards.^[1]

References

1. Sugar, Rachel (August 19, 2020). "The Association of Food Journalists Is Shutting Down". Grubstreet.com. Vox Media Network. Retrieved 25 September 2023. AFJ no longer has the financial resources to function.
2. Voss, Kimberly; Speere, Lance (September 2013). "Food Fight: Accusations of Press Agentry". Gastronomica. 13 (2). University of California Press: 41–50. doi:10.1525/gfc.2013.13.2.41. JSTOR 10.1525/gfc.2013.13.2.41. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
3. Sterling, Christopher H. (2009-09-25). Encyclopedia of journalism. 6. Appendices. SAGE. ISBN 978-0-7619-2957-4.
4. Smith, Andrew (2013-01-31). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2.
5. Mishan, Ligaya (February 18, 2022). "What We Write About When We Write About Food". The New York Times Company. T Magazine. p. 97. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
6. Voss, Kimberly Wilmot (2014). The food section: newspaper women and the culinary community. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-1-4422-2720-0.
7. "Marian Burros-Recent and archived work by Marian Burros for The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
8. Tishgart, Sierra (September 19, 2013). "Association of Food Journalists' Writing Competition Announces Winners". Grubstreet.com. Vox Media Media Inc. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
9. "Rice is at the Intersection of Poverty and Comfort". Plate. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
10. Kinsman, Kat (1 October 2021). "It's Jackie Summers' Time to Shine". Food & Wine. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
11. "AFJonline.com". AFJonline.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
12. . Archived from the original on 2018-05-05. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
13. . Archived from the original on 2016-08-04. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
14. "2014 Association of Food Journalists Awards Finalists". 23 May 2014. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
15. "Russ Parsons in Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America". Los Angeles Times. 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
16. AFJ winners in 2018 Food Journalism Competition, Association of Food Journalists website, accessed September 20, 2019.
17. Raskin, Hanna (September 8, 2021). "The Association of Food Journalists folded a year ago. Its ethics code remains as its proud legacy". Poynter.org. The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Inc. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
18. The Association of Food Journalists (8 September 2021). "Association of Food Journalists' Code of Ethics". Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Inc. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
19. Voss 2014, pp. 144.