This is so great by @ruhawksley on people apparently forgetting what the role of a critic is. Reminder: you& #39;re not a PR. Authors etc have those already. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/dolly-alderton-ghosts-review-irish-times-barry-pierce-literary-criticism-b1180463.html">https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/do...

I& #39;m not a huge fan of critics deliberately seeking out things they know they& #39;ll hate, but it works both ways. You shouldn& #39;t actively be looking for art you already know you& #39;ll love so you can keep writing only* good reviews, as if out of fear of being viewed as & #39;mean& #39;.

Part of the problem, and I see a lot of this in book reviewing world, is that the critic tends to be an author themselves. You see the notes at the end of the review, & #39;journalist& #39;s book XX is out now& #39;. It& #39;s a small community, you don& #39;t want to rock the boat.

But if you& #39;re worrying about fallout bc the writer happens to be a friend of a friend or whatever, you probably shouldn& #39;t be reviewing. That& #39;s not being nice, it& #39;s bias, and it does no one any favours.