By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com
The Politics Of E-Journalism 2009
Added, Friday 2/13, 11a – Now Sharon Waxman, extending the circle of fun for another day, defended herself against “my friend” (her tag) Patrick Goldstein. See… she was cautious in her language… so being wrong was okay. And she gets to slam the LAT for not PRINTING IN THE PAPER their piece on the audio press conference, even though nothing really came out of it, when her coverage has never and will never be on paper.
People need to decide, at least for themselves, what they think the rules are and stick by them for at least a full 72 hour cycle.
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Amidst all of the economic bloodshed in recent months and muted hoopla around the Oscars, one “real” story has emerged. The Motion Picture & Television Fund being forced – their take on it – to shut down long-term care and hospital operations in Woodland Hills is a real loss with a direct effect on real people.
The problem is terrible, in terms of how it affects many needy people. It is not remotely shocking under the current economics. And the attitude, as it too often is, that somehow Hollywood should just throw money at it, is as simple-minded as some of the coverage. How many more employees of companies already laying off people – with more cuts to come – should be fired to keep the Motion Picture Home fully operational? After Katzenberg and his friends kick $20 million into this problem, where else should they be spending their money? Please… tell us!
But I digress…
Easily the highest profile piece on the closing was in the LA Times yesterday, written by Richard Verrier, and published hours before an audio press conference. It was the LAT’s third paper story on the closing since the announcement on January 14. (Top News, 1/15) and Business, 1/23) There have also been a number of blog entries along the way, including the initial announcement and a Patrick Goldstein slam back in January.
But since the January 14 announcement, the driving reporting has been done on the web, in a combination of news and gossip.
Nikki Finke took on the story in her inimitable fashion… first being sent by Sitrick to slap at Allan Mayer… then having Jeffrey Katzenberg calling to try to correct the Mayer problem, essentially selling his side of this story in full directly to the gossip columnist yet being laid out for ridicule by demanding not to be quoted directly which. for Nikki, meant the failure use of actual quotes as she burned yet another person willing to talk to her directly… and then running a couple (1 | 2) e-mails…
On Sunday, freelancer Andrew Gumbel, writing for Sharon Waxman’s new venture, The Wrap, wrote up a a thorough and blistering piece on the economics of the MPTF, following it up a few hour later with Part 2.
This led to Nikki trying to top his piece, citing her own contribution to it and correcting an alleged error after someone told her otherwise in an e-mail.
A couple more e-mails posted on Tuesday (1 | 2), the second being “super secret,” but not really showing how they could have changed the course of events, as posited by Finke. Quite the opposite. The report actually breaks down why they felt compelled to take the action that was taken..
All of this drama led to a Wednesday audio news conference, for which TheWrap immediately (and repeatedly) took public credit. (Nikki Finke, no doubt, should get credit for it being an audio press conference, since she would never attend a public press conference in person. Gumbel also gets credit, as the MPTFers apparently refused to speak to him directly and were, rather, happy to have the format that gave them more control.) This was preceded, as these things often are, by the story in the major media outlet in town, The Los Angeles Times.
Around noon, there was also, to no one’s surprise but Nikki Finke’s, a press release defending the MPTF’s positions from Gumbel’s accusations, that was written before the audio press conference.
At 1:14p , Gumbel reported on the audio press conference.
At 1:40p, Nikki attacked the LA Times and The Trades for not asking questions at the press conference.
2:17p – Variety’s Dave McNary writes up a report on the audio press conference and the press release, which has a different Katzenberg quote than the TheWrap story.
At 2:45p, TheWrap took the release personally, as it should have, and responded to the MPTF’s responses to Gumbel’s reporting, including a few comedic defenses of the overhype on the front page of the site (“MPTF residents despondent; six have died since closure announced.”)
By 4:22p Patrick Goldstein was taking his Katzenberg shots without even mentioning his own paper’s coverage.
At 4:35p, TheWrap decides to memorialize Nikki Finke
“As long as I am writing about others and not primarily the ideas, I am failing.”
-David Poland, 2/11/2009
I will bet $10,000 right here right now that not one single person will read this circular narrative with all associated links. Why? Because I got a migraine just thinking about doing that.
Reporting on reporting. Yawn.
I don’t know what a “Management feel” is, but it sounds disgusting.
DP, I really appreciate your reporting on the reporting here. One of the main reasons most people are such uninformed consumers of media is that so few reporters are willing to show us the ugly seams holding together the shapeless and incomprehensible stories that we are supposed to somehow embrace and advocate.
Count me a grateful student in this instance.
“Ha! Good teacher. He really seems to care. About what… I have no idea.”
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