How CBS' President And Variety's Editor In Chief Are In Bed Together

9.64K

Beejoli Shah

11/21/13 02:10PM

Filed to: Conflict of interest

At a Girls, Inc. charity luncheon yesterday, CBS President Nina Tassler announced that she would be releasing a collection of essays on feminism. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the book is going to be co-authored by journalist Cynthia Littleton. One little problem: Littleton is the editor in chief of Variety, specifically tasked with covering television. Conflict of interest?

Littleton, who was bumped up to the editor in chief role at the start of 2013, has always written generally favorable coverage of CBS, including a profile on Tassler just last year. Just this month, Littleton penned a larger piece on "CBS' Record Year," giving extremely favorable coverage to CBS, despite the network's public image taking a deserved hit over Chairman Leslie Moonves' bullying tactics in a months-long dispute with Time Warner Cable. Given that the idea to have Littleton co-author Tassler's book was likely formed further back than just three weeks ago, its surprising that Littleton wouldn't disclose her ties to CBS' second in command while "objectively" writing about the network's success.

The book, a collection of essays by mothers in various fields, is being published by Simon & Schuster and is entitled What I Told My Daughter: Raising Feminist Daughters In A Post-Modern Feminist World. A portion of the sale proceeds will be going to Girls, Inc., the writing-focused charity Tassler supports.

It remains to be seen just what tenor Variety's coverage of CBS will take now that Tassler and Littleton's partnership is out in the open, but even if Littleton does the right thing and recuses herself from direct CBS coverage, it's hard to say that an editor-in-chief's close ties to a network won't impact her publication's coverage. The book is set to be released in 2015.

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Blort Beejoli Shah 11/22/13 10:09AM

Doesn't anyone at Defamer have the slightest fucking clue why Defamer exists? It exists because the publications that cover the industry have become creatures of industry culture, slurping up their free booze, "news" tips and press releases with no thought at all as to ethics or shame. They have been in bed with the industry they cover since day one. The failure of a Gawker employee to understand this central historical fact means that Defamer is condemned to repeat it. Just you watch. Hollywood will figure you out, just as the sporting world has already figured out how to spin Deadspin.

Beejoli Shah Blort 11/22/13 01:23PM

Failure to figure it out? I think you answered your own question—Defamer exists to point these sorts of incestuous relationships out. Which we did. On the article you commented on. And I like booze, but I can buy my own. I think we'll be okay. xo

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Perhaps Not Beejoli Shah 11/21/13 03:51PM

In the big-boy world, "bullying tactics in a months-long dispute with Time Warner Cable" are, in fact, how you carve out deals that are advantageous to your company. As somebody who worked closely with Cynthia Littleton for years, I can tell you firsthand that she is a scrupulously fair-minded person and that this is utter, ridiculous horseshit. CBS is wildly successful. You don't have to have a conflict of interest to know that, you just have to be able to do math.

People who work together day-in and day-out become friends. CBS isn't publishing the book, nor is Variety. This is a conflict of interest the way your going to the movies is a conflict of interest. Fuck right off.

Edit: Also, Jesus, the "extremely favorable coverage" you linked to is an EARNINGS REPORT WRITE-UP.

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Beejoli Shah Perhaps Not 11/21/13 03:59PM

Thank you for disclosing your working relationship with Cynthia.

Perhaps Not Beejoli Shah 11/21/13 04:21PM

You're welcome.

...

And I enjoyed your Dwayne Wade sitcom piece.

...

I bid you good day.

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beansandfranksIII Beejoli Shah 11/21/13 03:05PM

I guess I don't know what conflict of interest is. I don't see it here. What am I missing?

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Beejoli Shah beansandfranksIII 11/21/13 03:10PM

Littleton runs a publication that is supposed to cover the entertainment industry, sans bias. She now is in business with someone that she writes about—again, supposedly objectively. It stands to reason that if an article comes up that would paint CBS in a bad light, it would personally put Littleton in a tough spot to do her objective job and report about CBS, while working with CBS' second in command, especially since Littleton has financial gain by working with Tassler. It's a journalistic standard to disclose your relationships with the subjects you cover (i.e. TechCrunch reporters have often disclosed if they are investors in startups they are also writing about.)

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beansandfranksIII Beejoli Shah 11/21/13 03:27PM

Wait what? That's hogwash. This basically means no two people could ever work on a book together without clearing a conflict of interest test? Really? So if John Stewart decides to write a book with Bill O'reilly, they each of to put out a press release saying that they are working on a book together?

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ScottyMilder beansandfranksIII 11/21/13 03:32PM

Dude, this isn't that hard to figure out. Do you need a roadmap?

Beejoli Shah beansandfranksIII 11/21/13 03:32PM

No, people are obviously free to do whatever they like. It's just going to get noted—like it did here—that it's a weird conflict of interest. For example, everytime my boss John feels the inexplicable need to defend Arcade Fire's ridiculous sartorial policies at concerts during our work groupchats, he always mentions that he once co-authored a book about Arcade Fire's label, Merge Records, and generally finds Arcade Fire's members a pleasant bunch. It makes understanding where his widely mocked Arcade Fire love stems from that much easier.

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CurtRoland beansandfranksIII 11/21/13 03:36PM

I see everyone's s point, but I still can't buy into the fact that two people CAN'T write a book together who work within the same industry. Doesn't every athlete get someone to write a foreword for them...should that writer then NEVER cover the MLB/NBA again? The point is there, but I just don't feel like it's been perfectly made yet. Keep going. Convince me.

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nakkypoo Beejoli Shah 11/21/13 03:51PM

Thanks. I was a little confused as well. But my confusion came from assuming Variety was more of a gossip book than a news publication. Either way, though, it does sound like a conflict of interest that needs to be disclosed any time the woman from Variety reports on CBS... in the same way business reporters disclose when they've invested in a company they're writing about.

beansandfranksIII Beejoli Shah 11/21/13 03:55PM

It seems like a stretch to me. I could understand if Tassler had hired her to write for CBS, but working on a book together? Nah, don't see it, especially since reporting on CBS would likely have no whatsoever effect on book sales. I think your anecdote says more about your boss than about conflicts of interest. Just because he doesn't know how to be a consummate professional doesn't mean the rest of the world should be over disclaiming their work.

beansandfranksIII ScottyMilder 11/21/13 03:59PM

Yes please. Could you make it a picture book? While I can see the argument for a conflict of interest, it's as thin a lake ice in June.

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lemonsmark Beejoli Shah 11/21/13 03:05PM

Scissor time!