Yesterday I read an article by a blogger which
I previously respected that profoundly disturbed me. I won’t even mention the
name of the blogger or post a link to the article because that would just give
more exposure to a negative post that should just be ignored. The only thing
you need to know is that the blogpost was an upfront attack to a particular
fandom, clearly inspired by this person’s love for a competing show. The writer
went as far as to calling the fans “ignorant” and “rabid”. I believe that type
of attack on ANY group of people is the most unprofessional behaviour I’ve seen
from a journalist in all my years as a TV fanatic.
I am going to start this post by doing
something I never do and I consider being in slightly poor taste, but I think
it is necessary given the context of what I plan to discuss. I am going to talk
about my professional/academic background. I have a degree in finance (graduated
Summa Cum Laude), I worked in banking for a while until I was awarded a
Fulbright scholarship and completed an M.S. in Television Management. I
graduated top of my class and my master thesis “Financial Analysis of Broadcast
television” received the highest mark. I am currently working towards an MA in
Creative Writing; once completed, it is my intention to work in TV development.
I am not sharing these personal details out of vanity and I hope you forgive me
for it. The only reason I am providing this information is to show that, even
though I am merely an aspiring writer and a small-time blogger, I do believe, I
am reasonably [or at least minimally] qualified to talk about television.
Do I think I know everything there is to know
about the TV industry? Absolutely not! First of all my professional experience
in the sector has been limited and up to this point my knowledge is purely theoretical/based
on academic research. Second, television is constantly changing and evolving.
What holds up today may not be valid tomorrow. And finally, the decision making
process has a number of unknown variables which are not available to the public
[or journalists for that matter].
About TV economics
One of the things that annoyed me most about
the so-called article is that it didn’t follow any of the rules of logical writing.
The hypothesis was that ignorant fans are responsible for a show’s
cancellation, while savvy fandoms “thrive”. Then the writer went on a tirade
about audience flow, scheduling techniques and casting. All NETWORK decisions
that have nothing to do with fans! Furthermore I waited the entire article for
the example of the “savvy fandom that thrived”. It never came [Not saying it
doesn’t exist, just saying the writer of the article never supported her
claim].
For someone who claims to be very knowledgeable
about ratings and TV economics, the article mentioned a number of dubious
facts. Just a few comments about it:
- Time-slots ARE a limited commodity and ownership matters. So yes, two shows that air on the same network and are produced by the same studio are in a way competing for one of the limited “renewals”. It is simple logic and saying otherwise is just untrue.
- The Nielsen sample is flawed for many reasons and everyone in the industry knows it. Calling the fans “ignorant” because they are not watching “live” is offensive. The probability that all Nielsen boxes are installed in homes of fans of a particular show is non-existent. The live viewership decrease doesn’t mean fans are “ignorant” it simply means they are not part of the random sample! Live viewership can go down for many reasons, “fan ignorance” most likely not the main factor [or a factor at all!].
- TV ad revenue is not the only revenue. Yes, television is still ruled by Nielsen ratings and ad money. I do not believe it should be like that but it is still true. However, some networks like CW operate at loss [yes even with the highest rated shows like TVD]. CW is simply a “launch platform” for content produced by CBS and Warner (the parent companies), which make most of their money from other platforms (online paid downloads, online license fees, home market, syndication, international distribution, etc.)
These are just a few points completely missing
from the mentioned article. Many more considerations about TV finances were
ignored and all was blamed on the fans! The article was far too simplistic and
the arguments were not clearly stated or supported. I believe the average fan
knows more about the ratings system than I ever knew before I started formally
studying the subject. So blaming the “Nielsen” failure of a show on the fans is
not only ludicrous but offensive. It was even retroactively disrespectful to
all cult-followings of shows that struggled with ratings in the past: (Veronica
Mars, Firefly, Fringe, TSCC, Chuck just to name a few)
About fandoms and fans
First of all, yes, I am a part of the fandom
that was attacked so I won’t claim this isn’t personal for me. However, I am
not the type of person that only watches and obsesses about ONE show. I watch
EVERYTHING my limited time will allow me, so I am an active member of many fan
communities. Some fandoms overlap, some don’t. It’s just the way it is.
The whole point of being a “fan” is to be
utterly devoted to the object of said fanaticism. Obviously, as in any group of
people, some cross the line of what is appropriate and act a little “crazy”.
That is true for ANY fandom, but it does not mean every fan is like that. In
any case, it is only natural for fans to be territorial about their favorite show;
otherwise it would be like going to a football game and expecting fans to cheer
for both teams!
About Twitter trending
The whole point of “trending” on twitter is to
talk about a subject more than anyone else. If you are expecting others to back
off so you can trend, then you are not supposed to trend. And that’s all I am
going to say about that. Attacking a group of people because they are organized
enough to set a twitter trend every week is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever
heard.
About the etiquette of entertainment journalists and bloggers
It is one thing to have a fansite or a personal
blog where you can post anything you want, free speech and all that, but if you
earn your living as an entertainment journalism, I believe you should uphold
the ethical rules that govern the profession in general.
There are many types of entertainment “journalists”.
In general the word journalist has the connotation of someone who reports
facts, without personal judgements. People who follow this line have positive
sites where they publish news for different fandoms. Such is the case of
E!online and TV guide [at least most of the times]. Their main purpose is to
provide information not judgment and they let the fans battle it out in the
comments section.
There are other journalists that write “opinion”
pieces where they express why one show is good or bad in their eyes and why. It
is obvious that these pieces cannot please everyone and there is always going
to be people who disagree. I respect well-written opinion pieces even if I don’t
agree. If they are well constructed, it is simply someone else’s opinion and
doesn’t mean it is any less valid than my own.
Finally, there are sites which are based on “snark”:
making fun of shows and criticizing them in the spirit of being satirical and
entertainment. Such is the case of cracked and TWoP [which is actually one of
my favourite sites]. Writing opinion pieces or snarky reviews is perfectly
fine, many journalists/websites do it; however, let’s not forget one thing: all
these sites are criticizing content, never ONCE in my life have I seen a
journalist or website directing an upfront attack to the FANS! [who also happen
to be their readers!]
Some final thoughts
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and
tastes. But be respectful to the people who don’t share them. I think it is
ridiculous to expect every member of a fan community to know everything about
TV economics and/or to behave appropriately. Some people are radical and
temperamental, that’s a fact. However for every crazy fan there are 10 devoted
valuable ones. However I WOULD expect every established entertainment journalist/blogger
to behave with respect to the audience. In my opinion, overtly attacking ANY
group of people because they are passionate about something is not acceptable
for ANYONE and much less for someone who is supposed to be a professional working
in the entertainment business.
Now, it’s very likely someone will not like
this post and will question my opinion [and maybe leave some hateful comments
which I won’t censor]. However, they can’t accuse me of being disrespectful to
anyone. I firmly believe we shall not retaliate against the other fandom this
writer decided to forcefully pin against us. Nor should we spend any more time
worrying about what a, clearly unprofessional, person [for whom I have lost all
respect] wrote. I am personally proud of being part of this fandom and I can
say this has been one of the best experiences in all my years of avid TV
watching. Now let’s put this behind us and forget that site/person ever
existed.
[A/N
I apologize for any mistakes in the post, I really wanted to get all of this
out and I had to rush it because I unfortunately have another job that doesn’t
involve blogging. I am happy to discuss this in more detail if you want, so
feel free to tweet me or leave a comment. I promise I WON’T call the FBI if you
disagree]
Excellent writing and very true. We are all entitled to our opinions but it should be made clear to the reader that it is a personal opinion. It is not right to attack anyone for their belief and support of a TV show just because we don't agree with them. I also support the show whose fans were being attacked and was very insulted by it all. Thank you for putting things into perspective.
ReplyDeleteIt is always a pleasure to read an article as well written, clear and sincere.
ReplyDeleteAujourdd'hui all means its good to talk about either, which is pathetic.
A citation follows my life: "One always speaks badly when one nothing to say" Voltaire
I'm a Fans # BATB Thanks for your article.@addictBatB
Thanks for this wonderful post. I agree with you. I have lost all my respect for this person too. I was totally shocked by that article and could not believe what I saw. And your right. Lets move on.
ReplyDeleteexcelente artigo ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your sensible and balanced article! I fully agree with all you have said and am still incredulous at the temerity of the writer who is the subject. She knows how hard our fandom has fought and is still fighting for the survival of our show. Surely it is a very strange notion that we would just stop so a new fandom could make their mark, especially as they are receiving so much more help from network. Ludicrous! Attacking a cast member for doing no more than retweeting information to the fan base is both unprofessional and unforgivable!
ReplyDeletenothing to add.. very clear piece of writing.. and yes felt personally attacked by the article you are referring to, but after a good night sleep I can see it in perspective and your writing has contributed.
ReplyDeleteLove @DutchBeastie
Great response to an offensive article. I too am a very loyal member of the fandom that this so called 'journalist' (I use the term lightly here, I too have lost much respect) attacked and empathize with those who were slighted. I am interacting daily with some of the most amazing people (thanks to this show all) around the world. We are neither ignorant or rabid nor do we condone any form of mean behaviour. We are just passionate about our show and the cast/crew who do so much and we will invest our time to do what it takes in a civil manner to get our next season.Thank you for taking the time to write a well measured and thoughtful response. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThank you.It is needlees to be so evil like that. We can say everything clearly and With politeness. And i really don't even imagine a person like that as a good one! @maclemensgon
ReplyDeleteI concur 100%. Being a very active member of this fan base, I was appalled by the author of the articles comments and know some of the people with whom I interact with daily are extremely upset by this article and rightly so. Fans generally love this show to distraction, not destruction, but what I was most appalled by, was the treatment of a cast member the author of the article named. The person concerned is very active with the fans but has never supported negativity, liable or encouraged nastiness to any person or television show and definitely didn't on this occasion. I am not rabid, ignorant or naive and consider myself an intelligent person who has the ability to choose to either be offended by the article we are not mentioning or treat it with the contempt that it deserves. I chose contempt, both for the article and its author. Congratulations on a piece well written. I do wish I had the ability to articulate my feelings as well as you have done here.
ReplyDeleteVery well said. It was a bit ironic to me that some of the "crimes" laid at said fandom's door were perpetrated by the author during her...can't call it an article, more accurate to say temper tantrum. I think what disturbed me the most was that it was allowed to be published anywhere besides a personal blog to begin with. I agree that it is best if we move forward. I hope we continue being passionate yet kind as most of us always have been & don't follow her unfortunate example! :)
ReplyDeleteI have nothing to add but to say thank you for this great article. Everything you said is on the spot and true, and I too, was appalled by the journalist's unprofessional and blatant attack on an awesome fandom, of which I am also an active and proud member..Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I agree 100%, The internet can be a place to spread joy or pain, and it is unfortunate when someone uses this platform to cause harm and destruction on a fanbase that is already in pain. There are always a few bad apples out there but to attack an entire fandom just blows my mind. Thanks again for your articulate response.! BTW still miss your recaps!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat article, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. I totally agree and appreciate your intelligent and respectful writing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful article you are great. @barbipallina
ReplyDeleteTotal agree With you. Like you i ve a fans of ser al shows, love movies and tv shows. I upset but i know Who i am. Like you have university titules. .but. ..i like tv shows. Not imcompatible at all. You said turn the Page and go on with Batb Fight.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutelly perfect. No need more words. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis situation makes me angry. It makes me angry against CW. I think the BATB fans can be temperamental. I am temperamental; not against other shows but against the network. First, if you are going to cancel a show, say so and don't let the fans trend and beg and organized. Be honest. Second this is all CW's fault. I like BATB. I want it to be renewed. But I understand that it will never be as good as the original. CW was given a jewel, but CW, purveyor of bad teen television, can't hold on to a show that appeals to all ages. Worse, it can't reboot it properly.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this excellent article. I read "the other one", as I am a fan of the show. I have never heard about this person before, but I would never qualify the piece of paper she wrote as "journalism". I was really shoked by the direct attack to one member of the cast. So thank you once more for your article, it's a relief to read this. From a French fan of BATB
ReplyDeleteThanks!!! I'm a university professor, I have a masters and a doctorate. I'm #Beastie because I'm just like BATB and I'm not ignorant...
ReplyDeleteThank you for a constructive and worth reading article. Well said.
ReplyDeleteIts one thing to have an opinion but to attack the entire fandom openly is completely unacceptable not to mention unprofessional. For some unknown reason, ‘certain people & websites’ have the tendency to write/post negative comments about our show #BATB + fandom, and as hurtful and upsetting as it is, we have come to realise that some individuals will never make sense and the best thing to do is ignore them. We would rather invest our time and energy promoting and fighting for our show. For me what I found extremely upsetting and unforgiveable is the fact that not happy with insulting the fans, she decided to cross the line even more and involve a cast member into this when he didn’t do anything wrong. We have immense respect for him and appreciate everything he does for the show & the fans and he did not deserve that.
And just for the record, we do not have any problem with SC or the fans. We wish them luck with their show. What we will not do is apologise for our love, passion and dedication to our show and we'll continue to tweet, trend and do whatever it takes to fight for our show. No one has the right to tell us what we can/can't do.
Thank you again for an excellent article.
Very nice article.let's move forward and fight for our show and get BATB a 3rd season. A Batb fan from Greece
ReplyDeleteI cannot thank you enough. The only thing I can imagine added to your piece is the profound unprofessional manner in which 'the blogger' attacked one of our cast members. He did nothing to provoke her and she simply would not leave him alone.
ReplyDeleteI am 100% for moving forward from this issue. It's difficult in life to take an unexpected blow with grace, but in the interest of giving this blogger NOTHING to fight with, I would almost hope everyone simply BLOCKS her from their profile.
Again, I can't thank you enough for standing up for us. It helps morale so much when others in this industry with a better vantage point than we, validates our efforts and condones our passionate efforts.
Onward & Upward to SEASON 3!
@MamaBeastie
Great article and enough said. I am an architect who also has a wellness buisness. I am a single mom with a 7 year old. We love BatB since both of us love scifi. Our time is limited so i watch and support what is important to me. I will not let the writer get me down for spending my precious time supporting what i enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a very good article. Let us all move on and be respectful about each others opinions.
ReplyDeleteBravo!!! Thank you for all you've said and for all you do for Beasties. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure to read this article!! Really worth it!! Thank you and Keep BATBelieving!!
ReplyDeleteFrom Spain
Thank you for a very well written article.
ReplyDeleteI'm Italian. I'm an editor, a writer, I’ve a publishing house, I’m a Beastie and I don’t feel so ignorant.
ReplyDeleteI love cinema, and BATB is one of the best things I've ever watched . There are great atmospheres, great stories, wonderful actors. It may be true that not all of us can’t watch live the episodes, but it is also true that isn’t our business to understand which products are right for adult women… we are not paid for it: we are fans. But if now in Italy Rai 2 broadcast BATB 2, this will not bring money to the CW? And who is responsible if our not, our tireless heart?
Someone hates that we are on Twitter? I am beginning to respond in a very Italian way: and who cares.
We know to be like David against Goliath, but International Beasties are not afraid to use the Tweet like the stones of a sling.
Thanks BATB, thanks to Jay and all the actors, writers, directors, crew.
Go Beasties of the whole world, until the last moment.
I'm Italian. I'm an editor, a writer, I’ve a publishing house, I’m a Beastie and I don’t feel so ignorant.
ReplyDeleteI love cinema, and BATB is one of the best things I've ever watched . There are great atmospheres, great stories, wonderful actors. It may be true that not all of us can’t watch live the episodes, but it is also true that isn’t our business to understand which products are right for adult women… we are not paid for it: we are fans. But if now in Italy Rai 2 broadcast BATB 2, this will not bring money to the CW? And who is responsible if our not, our tireless heart?
Someone hates that we are on Twitter? I am beginning to answer in a very Italian way: and who cares.
We know to be like David against Goliath, but International Beasties are not afraid to use the Tweet like the stones of a sling.
Thanks BATB, thanks to Jay and all the actors, writers, directors, crew.
Go Beasties of the whole world, until the last moment.
Thank you for writing this, upon reading both articles you definitely appear to be the professional entertainment journalist whist the other presented as a nasty troll attempting to incite rivalry and bad feeling between fans and to be outrightly offensive to a group of people who love a TV show. I felt very upset and offended, I too would never usually blow my own trumpet as a typical self depreciating modest English person but..... I feel I have to prove a point, I have a first class masters degree, work for the government and manage a large team of people, so no not an ignorant person either and as I can see from the articulate comments neither are any other beasties I have interacted with. Thank you again for writing such a great response.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your well written article. I am a #Beastie and do not by any means consider myself ignorant. I am appalled that someone would define any fan base as such and feel good about themselves for writing the article. I feel sorry for her, feeling like she had to stoop to such a level as to condemn a fan group.
ReplyDeleteI once again, thank you and commend you for your wonderful article.
#BeastiesUnited
Applause and a standing O! You have earned your "Crown" and your credentials speak for themselves with this refreshing take on what has caused deep wounds in a fandom that, I too, have called my Safe Haven on many occasions. You made perfect sense of her chaotic diatribe and for that you have my utmost respect. I have been a legal assistant for many years and was shocked at the black and white of this article. There was no grey area surrounding it, so no loopholes to hide behind. Sad really! Our U.S. and International group are truly the most thoughtful, loving and dedicated people to come together every day to save our beloved show, support each other and honor a wonderful man who has shown us true dedication to keep on believing! Thank you!
ReplyDeletegreat response, well said.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alex, for this article, and for your support. You are brilliant, as usual!
ReplyDeleteI didn't bother to read the original article (it'd likely just incite rage), but it sounds like the show they were supporting (based on the above comments) was SC and I thought that show was struggling in the ratings so wouldn't the supporter of that show/the blogger commiserate with BATB fans instead of denigrate them? I have nothing against the other CW shows, just some fit me better than others. Some I would be sad if they were cancelled and for others I wouldn't care. No one wants to lose a show they like/love so why attack a fandom for supporting its show, which btw is what ALL fandoms do. Some are just louder or larger than others. I think the blogger just feels like the show she supports is threatened by BATB fans' dedication so I will take that article as a compliment as it is evidence of a blogger's desperate attempt to act like her show is superior. Also, her energy would be better spent (and it would be in better taste) on trying to promote the show she likes instead of tearing down the fans of the show she sees as its competition. I don't know what the person could possibly have said about the actor (I didn't read it+don't want to since it would likely just upset me), but the actors stay out of twitter drama and just encourage fans to be passionate about the show and keep believing in it. Of course they are going to support fans watching/promoting the show in decent ways. They don't know everything either and have a job to do so that's their main focus (doing good work). All the shows on the CW have a similar audience as well (it's the CW network!) so it's laughable to think that one audience is supremely educated and refined while another show's audience is not. The blogger needs a reality check and a course in manners. Also, I know different types of people from students to lawyers (myself included), educators, and businesspeople enjoy the show so it's not really fair to pigeon-hole fans (not that we like every single thing about any show). I think no matter what anyone says or writes about any TV show, it's hard to know what goes into a decision-making process and to know what shows will get renewed or not. All fans can do is make noise, promote viewership, be passionate and kind, and hope for the best while fighting for the shows they love. I'm tired of people putting down shows for sport. Bottom line: don't let anyone make you feel bad for liking what you like. Lots of people like different things for different reasons! Why should that cause a problem if they aren't hurting anyone!? People love stirring up drama on the internet and goading a passionate fanbase makes creating drama easy and increases viewership to one's website and gets one's message out more so it's best just to ignore it. It's one person's biased viewpoint! They have a negative opinion of a show bc its competing with the show they love so of course they are going to think negatively about that show (they just shouldn't write such negative things in a professional setting)! Agreed, I hope fans don't respond with negativity. Of course in every fandom there will be some radical fans, but that doesn't mean all fans are radical and btw ALL fandoms have some bad apples, but you don't say that 1% of a group represents that group. Alex, your article was well-written and just a job well-done so thanks for sharing. Sad to hear this drama occurred.
ReplyDelete