This is a multifaceted story, stick with me as go over the events that have taken place.
Late last week, a production/working copy of “X-Men Origins:Wolverine” was leaked out of 20th Century Fox Studios. Quickly a pirated copy of the unfinished movie was available on the net via multiple sources. Not long after the movie hit the web, Roger Friedman, a freelance entertainment writer for Fox News, downloads the movie, writes a review and publishes the story on Foxnews.com
Almost immediately entertainment bloggers began calling for Fox to fire Friedman. Part of the backlash to Friedman’s actions appears to be due to a self-imposed ban on the part of bloggers to shun the early version of the film.
Josh Tyler, of CinemaBlend.com, says:
The review has already been yanked off FoxNew’s website, but it’s not enough. If it’s Friedman who is responsible for posting it, then he should be fired. If there’s an editor, then he should be fired and Friedman’s freelance work should no longer appear on Fox News. To do anything else would be hypocritical, ridiculous, and reprehensible. To do anything else basically sends the signal that Fox is pretty much OK with piracy. Do anything else and those of us who went out of our way to support Fox in shutting down the illegal pirating of their films won’t do the same next time, because apparently Fox doesn’t really take this whole thing that seriously. Heck if they’re going to keep Friedman on the payroll maybe I should just go download Wolverineright now and get my review up. Fox seems to be ok with it. Your move Fox. You can still do the right thing.
He’s right – NewsCorp (Fox News / 20th Century Fox parent company) was put in a catch-22.
The editors at Fox News made a serious error in judgment to post a review of pirated work when they claimed to be attempting to target and prosecute the people who were pirates. If Fox took no action against Friedman the company would appear to support piracy, thus making their hunt of individuals who pirated the film look like an empty threat.
As quickly as the call for Friedman’s firing surfaced, word was released from Fox News that Friedman was gone.
Put your views on Piracy aside for a moment and ask this question – Should Friedman be fired, and if so, why?
The big problem I have with this entire situation isn’t that Fox News let Friedman go, it’s the fact that an Entertainment company can influence the decisions of News division. While they both are separate companies, they fall under the same parent holding company. Can’t such actions have a devastating impact on how organizational operations take place and what the public obtains for news?
What? There is a story that is critical of our business over in the news division?
Place a call and have it canned.
What? Someone disagrees with my political views?
Have them canned.
I’m not naïve enough to think this doesn’t happen on a daily basis already, but this story only goes to highlight the risk we face when major companies having a “News” division and an “Entertainment” division. Eventually, they start telling us what news is and is not….
4/6/09 Update: It appreas Fox News has not taken any official action, yet.
Nope… he was canned.
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