As a TV Critic, you must have thick skin. After all, your job is to critique material produced by hard-working people. Sometimes those critiques are negative, and you're bombarded by people defending the show. Some defend it with logical points that make sense, but others make it personal and put you on trial (not a literal trial, that would be pricey).
Our job as a TV critic is to educate viewers on the shows that are on the air. But our job is also to produce a conversation about these shows. Debating a series is great if all parties can stay mature and not get personal.
On January 11th, in the midst of the TCA Winter Tour, popular entertainment publication The Hollywood Reporter posted a piece on their website (originally from their magazine) entitled TCA: An Anonymous Executive Trashes TV Critics'.
This "anonymous executive" writes about us TV critics, and splits them into groups. These groups include: The angry young blogger, the twit, the assassin, the snob, the walking dead, the dinosaurs, and the few, the proud.
The article I assume was supposed to be funny and satirical, but honestly I think it comes off as bitter, cold, and cowardly. I use the word "cowardly" because there's no other way to call someone who writes this and then hides behind an anonymous name. Remember, when TV critics write reviews, our names are on it. We own up to everything we write.
This "anonymous executive" also seems to forget that without us TV critics, their shows wouldn't get the publicity they need. In this business, the press and the networks work together. But this article is pretty much giving the middle finger to the ones paid to do their job.
TV critics are doing their job. As a TV critic, despite what the "anonymous executive" said, most of my rage isn't towards them. Because whoever wrote this piece needed a platform. He/She needed a soap-box, and The Hollywood Reporter was happily there when they needed it.
Let's think about it, why would The Hollywood Reporter HELP bash TV critics? Why would they, supposedly respected journalists, accept to keep this author anonymous?
The THR seems to have forgotten that they employ TV critics. They also seem to forget that their job isn't to bend over and take whatever the TV executives give. Trust me, I understand the need to get hits. I understand the need to keep your publication profitable. But if I were a writer at THR, I would have felt thrown under the bus after this was published.
The Hollywood Reporter employs some great people. I've had the opportunity to communicate with many of them. But as one of the "Big Names" in the entertainment business, they need to lead by example. Shame on THR for publishing this failed attempt at satire.
Please note that I did NOT keep this blog anonymous. I own everything I said.