The Trouble With Trouble
We are in some rough water, folks.
There is no question.
The indie world is being squeezed, doc side first. The studios are trying to trim down to what works while dumping out of most of the funding responsibilities. And some are in serious trouble.
There are two stories on the web today that may be 100% true… but also concern me deeply. It’s not about pulling back the curtain. That’s the job. But there is a kind of malignancy in the idea that what has always been gossip is now being published by bloggers as “news”… and then, followed up on, even without any real confirmations of anything nefarious, as a way of self-glorifying… even getting down to the “send me your complaints about people who pay you late so I can humiliate them too!” gamesmanship. But who can blame Ms Finke for her gutter urges. They have gotten her so much attention so far!
When AJ Schnack sends out a blog entry as “BREAKING,” when it is, in fact, neither breaking or news, you have to wonder. Again… the unnamed sources who are trying to get paid – and there has been quiet talk that Think paid Alex Gibney off almost completely after he ran a threat through Stu Van Airsdale at Defamer – may be telling the story 100% straight. Or they may not.
The reason there are rules in journalism on sourcing is not because some crazy ass sources are not sometimes right… but because once someone is smeared in the press, it is hard to take it back.
Capitol and Think may be going under. They may not. But the feeding frenzy around their troubles tends to make a lot of assumptions… some of which may be true and others which may not be.
Crazy Nikki, on the other hand, is dancing on The Weinstein Company, thrilled to be getting calls from Harvey to respond to the anonymous gossip she ran yesterday. Again… The Weinsteins may be in deep trouble. They may not be in that much trouble. We don’t know anything for sure, other than they have been a bit cash strapped from the beginning of their new company and that the savior, Grindhouse, didn’t save anything.
Of course, Nikki is taking responsibility for shaming The Weinsteins into paying their bills. Yeah.
And she is running an EXCLUSIVE!!! statement from the DGA that is spectacularly vanilla and does not suggest the trouble that Nikki was trying so hard to stir up:
“The DGA has had a long and productive working relationship with The Weinstein Company and its predecessor. It is sometimes the case, with various companies, that residuals payments are late. We are working directly with TWC to resolve this issue and see that our members receive prompt residuals payments.”
But hey… Nikki may still get a “Toldja” out of it. But as a journalist, it would be nice if she actually found some news in here… like actually knowing whether there is a cash crunch involved at TWC. She cannot and does not offer this. And that is the only thing that would rise in any of this past the level of insider gossip of the most obvious level.
And now, she wants more of the same… unidentified people complaining about who owes them money.
This is what passes as journalism.
And keep this in mind… this is not an abstract issue for me. We carry payables from many studio advertisers and the financial issues at both large and small distributors are of real concern. But it would never occur to me to embarrass these people or companies publicly as tool to reach my personal business ends. I can handle my business like a businessperson… and my journalism as a journalist. News is news and no one gets away without scrutiny. But gossip is just gossip.
David, allow me to respectfully disagree on one point. I think it’s “news” (and “breaking”) that the story being told about THINK’s financial health by one of the trades underplayed and somewhat dismissed what was truly happening. The fact that THINK is about to be served on several different lawsuits is not something that has been reported.
I’d long heard tales about THINK (as well as numerous other companies) and had never thought of publishing. The business of independent filmmaking carries risks. There are times when bills can’t be paid. This is not news. That, in my opinion, is not what’s happening here.
I have no desire to dance on the grave of THINKFilm or anyone who distributes nonfiction films. I am a huge proponent of the theatrical potential of documentary and it would be a major blow if THINK were to bow out.
But I feel there is a larger responsibility to those who entrust THINK, whether they be filmmakers or vendors, to provide a more accurate portrait of what is happening to a company that is integral to the indie film world. I hope that THINKFilm has a solution for its monetary issues. But knowledge is power and filmmakers (and vendors) have a right to know if “the trouble” is reaching some kind of critical mass. My sense, based on sources with and without a dog in this fight, is that it has.
The problem I have with that is that the threat of lawsuits is different than lawsuits.
That is the difference between gossip and news.
I hope Think has a solution too… I am on the list of people who are due to get paid. But the run on banks at the start of The Depression wasn’t caused by insolvent banks, but by public panic.
There are films that Think is supposed to be starting soon that people are counting on for income. So I hear what you are saying. But the kind of information that you put out there yesterday can do more damage than it can inform those who can use the info. Maybe not. But perception is reality in this business.
We learned this during the WGA strike, when bad rumors were shaping the discussion. Of course, in the end, the deal was the deal and none of the gossiping meant shit. But that reality is still shoved to the side by those who sought to gain power by the being the clearinghouse of rumor.
I don’t think you want to dance on anyone’s grave. I just think you are a well-meaning, aggressive purveyor of the stories. And often, rumor becomes truth when it might otherwise not. There are people – like SAG and IA, the courts, etc – to protect the people who might be put in bad situations by any company in trouble. Getting ahead of what is actually happening… anticipating… and in many remors, manipulating… has not been the journalistic standard for a reason.
I hope you are wrong, ultimately – as short term, there is little doubt you are right – about Think. You might be right. But this is an issue of principle. And in principle, it is not your responsibility to raise your opinion to pretty close to fact… which was the tone of your piece.
And it’s my responsibility, as an aggregator of information and publisher of a more widely read site, to offer perspective on your perspective.
Regardless… I think your intent is miles better than Nikki’s.