> Marianne Moore, as an editor, preferred long reviews of good books,
> short reviews of so-so books, and no review at all of bad books.
That was my general editorial policy (though I didn't stop writers from writing pans), and my preferred strategy as a reviewer. Critics are critical, and their praise is more meaningful than their put-downs.
Live performance didn't allow for this luxury--I once had to write a bad review of a band I knew well, which included my two best friends in the world, because they were on the bill of a show that I wanted to praise. I hated writing that pan, and I hated having to try to be kind--I'd've rather just ignored that atypically poor set, but I couldn't.