My story idea for this week would be an investigation of urban legends at local fast food restaurants. My boyfriend’s friend swears Arby’s used liquid beef when he worked there. The employees would just squirt the liquid onto a flat top, and the heat would solidify the substance into a roast beef slice. I can’t help but be highly skeptical of this liquid beef theory, but I know this isn’t the first time I’ve heard it. I’d like to get behind the legend and see how the beef is made. Maybe it is liquid. Maybe it’s not. Either way, I think readers would be interested.
I’m sure there are other fast food restaurants with similar stories. I’ve heard that Taco Bell meat is labeled as “Grade F but edible.” I’ve also heard that Wendy’s uses edible plastic fillers in their meat to save money.
The story would be difficult to report. There are a lot of reasons managers don’t want reporters behind the scenes at restaurants, regardless of whether beef is liquid or not. I think a visit is required, however, if the story is to be published. The only way something can be verified, in this case, is with a reporter’s own two eyes. The reporter should also be careful and steer clear of libelous claims. Rumors must be described as rumor and fact described as fact.
Online, there could be pictures of restaurants accompanied by a detailed description of their myths, debunked or not.
