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February 12, 2009

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’s gossip columnist demands to know the personal information about who gives what to the MPTF as a great moment in journalism history.

At 5:48p, The Hollywood Reporter's story went up.

At 6p, Richard Verrier followed up, on a LAT blog, with a brief report about the audio press conference.

At 8:45p, Sharon Waxman decided to attack "Traditional Media" also.

And on we go…

Ironically, in all of the shouting, Sharon Waxman hits the bullseye on what this story actually is - and is not - in the close of her attack on the LAT and The Trades. "Here’s what the rest of us hear: Old people are being evicted because of a $20 million shortfall."

There is one other significant statistic, laid out by the LA Times... the find raised $35 million in 2007 and spent $13.6 million in "management fees" and another $6.6 million in "professional and consulting fees." So about 58% of all funds raised went out the door in expenses for runniing the operation.

Profoundly wrong... but not terribly unusual in the not-for-profit universe.

Much of this other stuff, in my opinion, is back-biting, gossipy, Katzenberg-obsessive bullshit driven by the culture of gossip that industry news has become. It was made worse, as it so often is, by the efforts to control the reporting that is being done... as in, Gumbel making a legitimate effort, Nikki seeking to stir shit with no interest in the truth. But when TheWrap, which did the heavy lifting, starts acting like Nikki, overreaching for the sake of effect, it makes it very, very confusing for everyone on both sides of the aisle.

But more importantly, the real story tends to get lost in all this public dick measuring.

LATE ADDITION: Patrick Goldstein has now blogged a defense of the LA Times... but not before he had left his paper out of his own coverage yesterday, adding to the fury. Yet to defend Patrick, he also did the simple, clear version of the story back on January 15.

Again... good and bad... it just keeps circling around...

ALSO - I should also take a hit here... I have not made enough fo this story on this site.

Posted by dpoland at February 12, 2009 10:51 AM

Comments

Posted by: matro at February 12, 2009 02:16 PM

Posted by: Jeffrey Boam's Doctor at February 12, 2009 02:25 PM

Posted by: RDP at February 12, 2009 03:00 PM

Posted by: Josephine Gideon at February 12, 2009 09:42 PM

Posted by: Crow T Robot at February 12, 2009 09:58 PM

Posted by: Jeremy King at February 13, 2009 06:46 PM

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